Knox Trail 250th Commemorative Program

On Sunday, February 8, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., history comes alive on the Framingham Centre Common as Framingham hosts a featured stop along the Henry Knox Trail!

This free, family-friendly event is part of a four-community commemoration presented by Revolution250. The afternoon features a dramatic outdoor procession followed by a community quilt unveiling, rare Revolutionary War era artifact exhibition, and a commemorative program that connects Framingham’s local history to a turning point in the American Revolution.

The program begins outdoors at 2:00 p.m. with a winter procession across the historic Framingham Centre Common, featuring cannons mounted on draft-animal-pulled sleds, a Fife and Drum unit, and colonial reenactors portraying a welcoming party for Henry Knox and his teamsters. This procession recalls the daring 1775-1776 journey that brought artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston and helped shift the course of the American Revolution.

Following the outdoor procession, the event continues inside the Framingham History Center’s Village Hall on the Common with a commemorative program highlighting Framingham’s role and the shared history of Knox Trail communities. The program will include a short video on the history of the Knox Trail and the presentation of commemorative plaques to communities along the Knox Trail.

Framingham’s stop offers experiences found nowhere else along the trail. Members of the Living History Co. will offer a rare, side-by-side encounter with history. Meet a living portrayal of Framingham’s Peter Salem while viewing the original muster roll that records his service, weaving the experiences of Patriots of Color into the Noble Train’s 250th anniversary stop in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The afternoon also includes the unveiling of the MA250-sponsored “Stitching Revolution in Massachusetts” quilt, a community-created work from the Framingham History Center that explores the American Revolution through textile art, as well as a special exhibition of Revolutionary War artifacts from the Framingham History Center’s collection. Highlights include one of only twelve known handwritten fife tune books from the era, a militia roster listing Peter Salem, and an original published Revolutionary War poem by Lydia Learned.

This event is presented by Revolution250 in partnership with the Metrowest Visitors Bureau, MA250, and the Framingham History Center, and is part of the broader work of Revolution 250 and MA250 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution across Massachusetts by connecting local stories to national history. Please visit revolution250.org for more information.

Dress warmly and come experience an afternoon where movement, music, and memory helps us bring the stories of the American Revolution to life!