As a girl growing up in Carroll County, Ashley Spenneberg-Perkins participated with her parents in historic re-enactments. In her elementary school days, she was a proud member of the Kentucky Junior Historical Society.
“I love Carroll County, and that’s where I fell in love with history. And here I am now working on this wonderful history project, in which we want everyone in the state to participate,” she said in a recent interview in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in downtown Frankfort.
Armed with bachelor of science degrees in history and anthropology from Northern Kentucky University and a master’s degree in public history from NKU, Spenneberg-Perkins has been a staff member of the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort since November 2023. She now has the important title of America250KY commission administrator.
In that role, she’s helping coordinate the various birthday bashes Kentucky is holding in 2026 to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The celebrations have been ongoing since 2024, but they will reach a rapid pace in the new year, culminating in milestone events in Frankfort on the Fourth of July and in early December 2026, when the celebrations end.
The official title of the monumental project is America250KY. It is a part of America250, a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Kentucky effort features a nifty logo showing 250 in large numbers with the word “America” written over it and a small banner across part of the number reading “Kentucky.” In 2026, you will see it a lot in the Commonwealth.
Collectors of historic memorabilia will want to grab the free large coins—bigger than a silver dollar—the Historical Society will distribute featuring the America 250KY logo and an inscription around the edge that reads “Highlighting Achievements—Embracing Responsibility.” The back of the coin shows a map of the United States with the years 1776, 2026 and 1836—the year a group of prominent Kentuckians organized the Kentucky Historical Society to “collect and preserve authentic information and facts connected with the early history of the State.”
Also available as free souvenirs will be a lapel pin and a writing pen with the America250KY logo.
Cost for the State’s Celebrations
In 2021, the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $4 million for the state’s program to celebrate the milestone birthday.
“Kentucky was one of the earliest states to start this program,” Spenneberg-Perkins said. “Every state is doing this, and we in Kentucky have three people on staff [to oversee the progam].” These are Spenneberg-Perkins, education specialist Maddie Menz and research specialist Molly Shaddix. The team started its work in 2024. It works with a 250th anniversary commission set up by Gov. Andy Beshear.
In September 2024, Beshear offered funding of up to $10,000 for museums, historic sites and other nonprofits to improve programming and celebrate the anniversary. The Kentucky Arts Council offered grants for exploring the theme of 250 years through the arts, and in August 2025, the Kentucky Heritage Council closed its application for grants to preserve historic properties.
In February 2025, Boyle County became the first county to form a committee to lead its birthday celebrations with the Kentucky Historical Society. Louisville/Jefferson County has its own planning committee. Spenneberg-Perkins noted that Lexington’s festivities align with the city’s 2025 celebration of the 250th anniversary of its founding.
Lexington was founded in 1775 by William McConnell and frontier explorers who set up camp near a natural spring, now known as McConnell Springs. In honor of the American Revolution battles in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, the frontiersman named their site Lexington.
Additional Kentucky counties are coming up with interesting plans to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, said Spenneberg-Perkins.
Some Counties’ Plans
Maysville city commissioner and former mayor David Cartmell said the committee he is on is planning a revival of the Broadway musical 1776.
“In the first performance of it in Maysville years ago, I played Richard Henry Lee,” Cartmell said. “I don’t know if I could do that again with all the jumping around required. We’ll see.”
Helen McKinney, executive director of the Shelby County Historical Society, said the society will continue a series with speakers focusing on the Revolutionary War. It also will develop a trolley tour that will take passengers to burial sites of Revolutionary War patriots, where visitors at each site will “meet” two veterans of the war and hear their stories. All veterans will be honored.
The society also will provide “Revolutionary Minutes,” 60 seconds of facts related to the war and focusing on the history of the nation, Kentucky and Shelby County.
Big plans are in store for next Fourth of July, including participation in the community’s annual Independence Day parade. The county is researching and expanding its list of Revolutionary War soldiers buried in the county.
The society’s annual public exhibit will be 250 years of clothing in Shelby County. It will feature a variety of items from its collections. And the society’s 2026 annual publication is expected to focus on 250 years of Shelby County history.
Kentucky Historical Society Plans
The state Historical Society uses various venues to raise awareness about the anniversary. One is a free speakers’ bureau at the history center. Tentatively scheduled for March 21 is Brian McKnight, who teaches Appalachian history at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. He will talk about his upcoming book on the two explosions at the Scotia mine at Oven Fork in 1976 that killed 26 coal miners and mine inspectors and led to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977.
When asked what the Scotia mine disaster has to do with the American Revolution, Spenneberg-Perkins said the program wants to include major stories in the nation’s history over its 250 years.
Other efforts to spread the word about the upcoming birthday are “tabling events.” These are community engagement activities and “road shows” that feature various activity stations, such as informational tables. The main events involve local history talks, hands-on activities, and the display of historical artifacts.
“Throughout the entire 250th celebrations, we want people to look at the entirety of Kentucky’s history,” Spenneberg-Perkins said. “We are exploring the state’s history from the nation’s founding to today.”
Another way for the state society to spread the word about the birthday is the Liberty Tree Project with the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Kentucky Division of Forestry. It involves planting 120 tulip poplar trees—one in each county. The tulip poplar was designated the state tree in 1956, and the Kentucky coffeetree was designated the state heritage tree in 1994.
The state society is planning “something big” for the Fourth of July celebration in Frankfort, Spenneberg-Perkins said without elaboration.
The official celebrations are to end in December 2026, possibly Dec. 7. Why that date? That’s when Kentucky became a territory of Virginia. Kentucky did not become a state until June 1792.
Spenneberg-Perkins said that birthday bashes for the state will be added and are subject to change. She suggested searching the historical society’s website at America250KY or its Facebook page for updates.
“Our job is to spread the word about the big birthday,” she said. “This important anniversary will showcase our past, and the ideals of the American Revolution can help us understand who we are today.”