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SUNY Potsdam to 'Open Doors to History' for Countywide America 250 Celebration

SUNY Potsdam Community Celebrates America's 250th Anniversary Through Research & Special History-Focused Events

Potsdam, NY (06/02/2026) — In honor of America's 250th anniversary, SUNY Potsdam will take part in the countywide "Open Doors to History" event on Saturday, June 6.

Organized by the St. Lawrence County Semiquincentennial Commemoration Committee, "Open Doors to History" will invite residents and visitors to explore historic sites, museums and cultural spaces across the county through a series of free and donation-based access days. All are welcome to step inside, meet local historians and uncover the stories, architecture and landscapes that define the North Country.

The Mary English Commons in SUNY Potsdam's Satterlee Hall will be open to the public for a special exhibit and reception during the event, as one of the River Valley participating locations. The Commons features exhibits related to campus history, going back to the College's founding in 1816. Satterlee Hall will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, with free parking available in Lot 1.

SUNY Potsdam Professor of History Dr. Libbie Freed is a member of the Commemoration Committee, which has been coordinating various events with the Board of Legislators, Chamber of Commerce, town/village historians, historic sites, arts and culture organizations and local schools.

The SUNY Potsdam History Department is also celebrating America's 250th through student opportunities: Between 2024 and 2026, a total of 11 SUNY Potsdam students will have completed paid summer history research internships, each paired with a local historian or historical society across New York State and focusing on some aspect of the history and legacies of America's Revolutionary War.

These internships feature funding for both the students and their paired historians from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Semiquincentennial Summer Fellowship Program, as well as advisory support from SUNY Potsdam historians Dr. Sheila McIntyre and Dr. Thomas Baker. So far, students have examined Revolutionary War veteran records, studied life after the American Revolution, examined the 1876 Centennial, and more.

Dr. Freed noted: "We're excited to be part of this program that is providing useful applied learning experiences for our students as well as supporting town and village historians across New York state in preparing for events commemorating the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026."

In addition, the Orchestra of Northern New York is set to present a series of three special concerts in honor of the semiquincentennial this summer, including a performance at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. ONNY will perform "Frederic Remington's America: A Celebration of Our Nation's 250th Birthday!" on Thursday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m., in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.

Through a unique and exciting collaboration with the Frederic Remington Art Museum, the concert program has been curated through the lens of one of America's most important artists, and reflects his family's heritage, experiences growing up in Northern New York, his travels to Paris and Cuba, and his lifelong love of the cowboy culture of the American West. The concert will feature a veritable "Who's Who" of American composers, including Aaron Copland, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and Leroy Anderson, and will finish in traditional ONNY fashion with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

The Orchestra of Northern New York, which features numerous Crane faculty and alumni, and a select number of current student apprentices, will also perform in Watertown on Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. in Thompson Park, in a free outdoor concert followed by fireworks, and in Ogdensburg on Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m., in the Ogdensburg Free Academy George Hall Auditorium. For tickets and additional information, visit onny.org.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of History offers a variety of courses ranging from the ancient world to the present, and from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas. The department's faculty is comprised of inquisitive scholars, whose passion for history enlivens their classrooms. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/History.

Media Attachments

Satterlee Hall seen from the Academic Quad in summertime.

SUNY Potsdam will take part in the “Open Doors to History” event on Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with open exhibits in the Mary English Commons, located in Satterlee Hall (pictured).

Ryan Costin stands with Jessica Moquin at the Chenango County Historical Society.

SUNY Potsdam history students have been completing paid internships across New York State to help local historians and historical societies conduct research related to America’s 250th anniversary. Seen here, Ryan Costin poses for a photo with SUNY Potsdam alumna Jessica Moquin '99 & '01, who now works as a historian at the Chenango County Historical Society.

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