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In 2026, the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday. Across the country and across Ohio, celebrations and special events are taking place. The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums — the estate, home, library, museum and burial site of the 19th U.S. president and first lady — is the perfect place to celebrate America's rich history.

 

Here are the offerings Hayes Presidential has planned for America 250. This list will be updated as more events are added. 

 

 

Special exhibit: “Welcome to the World’s Fair: Philadelphia 1876”

Friday, March 27, 2026 - Wednesday, June 30, 2027

 

A century after a handful of colonists declared their independence from Great Britain, the growing United States celebrated its success at the democratic experiment in grand fashion.

The Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was a world’s fair that demonstrated the young American republic’s innovations in science, agriculture, industry and the arts. The 6-month long event attracted prominent speakers from across the country, including the Republican candidate for president, Rutherford B. Hayes. 

With the United States celebrating 250 years of the American experiment, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums remembers the 150th anniversary of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition with the special exhibit “Welcome to the World’s Fair: Philadelphia 1876.”

The exhibit shares the history of the exposition, discuss its impact on American culture and society and display artifacts from the exposition. Accompanying the Centennial exhibit, the museum will also feature a gallery of artifacts from its collection from the American Revolution in homage to 250 years of American independence.

“As we celebrate America 250, this exhibit is interesting because it gives us a look into how people have celebrated U.S. independence in the past, and it gives us a glimpse into a grand spectacle that we don’t really see much anymore,” said Kevin Moore, Hayes Presidential curator of artifacts.

Read more here: https://www.rbhayes.org/news/2026/03/26/general/special-exhibit-welcome-to-the-world-s-fair-philadelphia-1876-open-through-june-30-2027/

This exhibit is sponsored by the Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation.

 

  

 

 

History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert

Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26; Oct. 10, 17

 

 

From the signers of the Declaration of Independence to under-told stories of men and women behind the American Revolution to the downfall of Alexander Hamilton, History Roundtable will have a colonial American focus this fall.

The popular series, led by retired educator Mike Gilbert, returns for its 13th season and will focus on topics highlighting early American History in celebration of the United States’ semiquincentennial celebration this year. Gilbert researches each topic and presents fascinating stories of the past.

History Roundtable will take place in person. Pre-recorded virtual sessions also will be offered for those who cannot attend in person.

Six sessions are offered on Saturdays in September and October. Sessions are from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Admission – whether in person or virtually through the recordings – is $5 per session or $25 for all six. Pre-registration and pre-payment for both in-person and virtual sessions are required.

Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. To register and pay, contact Julie Mayle, curator of manuscripts, at [email protected]. There are no refunds.

The schedule of sessions is:

  • Saturday, Sept. 5 – Prelude to the American Revolution: The collapse of the British East India Company and unrest at home pushed Britain into taxing tea and hiring Hessian soldiers, exposing an overstretched empire straining to hold its power as the Revolution unfolded.

 

  • Saturday, Sept. 12 – We The People: The Signers: The Declaration of Independence is remembered for its 56 signers, but its creation and preservation relied on many others. Learn how unrecognized individuals played a part in this historic document.

 

  • Saturday, Sept. 19 – Hidden History: Women Behind the American Revolution: This topic will shine a light on the women of the American Revolution. From indigenous diplomats to the enslaved, from privateers and spies to front-line patriots, their stories reveal a far more complex and powerful transformation.

 

  • Saturday, Sept. 26 – Hidden History: Men Behind the American Revolution: The American Revolution promised liberty, yet minorities and the poorer classes faced harsher realities. These stories reflect the obscure tales of men lost to history and their contribution to a Revolution that changed the world.

 

  • Saturday, Oct. 10 – The American Revolution and its Effects on the British Empire Britain’s “black holes” overlooked imperial episodes including the displacement of Loyalists, the legal limbo of privateers and the plight of prisoners. Administrative indifference, maritime law ambiguity and wartime movement erased their lives from official histories.

 

  • Saturday, Oct. 17 – Alexander Hamilton: The Downfall of a Founding Father: Interested in true crime? In 1799, the murder of “Elma” Sands and the sensational 1800 trial, defended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, helped grow public interest for lurid courtroom drama and served as a forerunner to the true crime genre so popular today.

History Roundtable is sponsored by ProMedica Memorial Hospital. 

History Roundtable is part of Hayes Presidential’s year-long America 250 celebration. Partial funding for America 250 events is by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.

Hayes Presidential is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner of the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. Hayes Presidential is located at Spiegel Grove on Buckland Avenue.

For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Instagram at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.

 

 

 

 

Special exhibit: 'Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions'

Oct. 1 - Nov. 15, 2026

 

A moving exhibit of hand-carved military canine sculptures honoring veterans’ sacrifices will be displayed through Nov. 15 at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums as part of the institution’s America 250 celebration.

“Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” features the signature wood forms of Ohio artist James Mellick, whose works pay tribute to the special bonds veterans have with their canine service counterparts. Each of the nine dogs in the installation represents a different military campaign, as well as the injuries that their human counterparts endure.

“President Hayes viewed his military service as a defining event in his life and would spend his later years advocating for the rights of veterans,” said Julie Mayle, Hayes Presidential curator of manuscripts. “Leading by his example, Hayes Presidential continues to honor our nation’s veterans. We are excited to have Spiegel Grove as the backdrop for these unique works of art and for the community to experience them firsthand.”

“Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” has been extended from its original closure date to stay open through Sunday, Nov. 15, in the museum rotunda. It is included with regular admission. Hayes Presidential members are admitted for free. 

On Veterans Day, which is Wednesday, Nov. 11, veterans receive free admission to Hayes Presidential and this exhibit. 

This exhibit is sponsored by the Art & Kate Doust Charitable Fund.

For the full story, click here. 

 

  

Watch - State of Eight: Presidential Leadership Forged in Ohio

Virtual program recorded from presentations made in March 2026

 

Ohio is the “State of Eight” presidents — seven who were native Ohioans and one who has deep connections to Ohio.

The Hayes Presidential Library & Museum partnered with America250-Ohio and presidential sites from across Ohio and Indiana to tell the stories of each of these leaders through a free, virtual program taking place on Wednesdays throughout March.

Watch each program of State of Eight: Presidential Leadership Forged in Ohio below:

Each presenter discussed how the presidents shaped and were shaped by events of their eras, which impacted their presidential terms and American history. Participants heard the personal stories of these leaders and their families in and out of the White House, how they thought about the founding of the nation and influences from their youth that set them on their legendary path. 

Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.