Neuhaus Launches Orange County 250th Commemoration with New Field Guide

County Executive Steve Neuhaus has released the Orange County 250 Field Guide as part of the county’s commemoration of the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026. The guide frames Orange County as a central hub for logistics, defense, diplomacy, and battle during the Revolutionary era and is intended to connect residents, students and visitors with local sites and stories tied to the nation’s founding.

The county links the Revolutionary timeline it presents from the first shots at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, to General George Washington’s ceasefire order issued from his Newburgh headquarters on April 19, 1783. The release highlights a roster of Orange County locations and incidents that shaped the conflict locally, including Ramapo Pass, the Hudson River fortifications around West Point, the network of settlements along the Delaware River, the Battle of Fort Montgomery, Benedict Arnold’s treason, and the Newburgh Conspiracy.

“Orange County was a central and integral location during the American Revolution, and our communities helped shape the nation’s path to independence,” Neuhaus said. “As we approach this historic milestone, this informative Field Guide will help residents, students, and visitors understand the extraordinary role our region played, and continues to play, in the American story. I encourage you to take the opportunity to learn some of the amazing history of our great County.”

Orange County Historian Johanna Porr emphasized the countywide nature of those ties, saying, “Every community in Orange County has important ties to the Revolutionary War period. Armies crossed through this area, set up camps, and supplied soldiers through local markets from the beginning to the end.”

The county posted the release on its official website on February 03, 2026, and the online page includes standard site features such as an Emergency Alert header, an option to create a website account to manage notification subscriptions, and links to the county’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. The release notes that commemorative activities began with the Orangetown Resolutions in 2024 and will extend through a timeline that culminates with the anniversary of the British evacuation of New York State in November 2033.

For Orange County residents, the Field Guide is positioned as a local educational tool that can be used in school curricula, self-guided visits, and community programming. The county’s emphasis on a multi-year timeline signals sustained civic investment in programming and interpretation rather than a single event.

Expect more specifics from county communications about how the Field Guide will be distributed, any linked event calendar, and planned educational partnerships as the Semiquincentennial observance proceeds through 2026 and toward the 2033 milestone.