Historian Jim Peck closed out Brandon’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary — or semiquincentennial, for wordsmiths — of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with two scheduled talks on Brandon’s history of July 4 celebrations.

His presentations, titled “Brandon’s 4th of July: A History of the Nation’s 250th Birthday,” were held in the basement of Town Hall on July 3 and July 5. Both were hosted by the Brandon Museum.

Peck wove a historical tapestry that started in 1761, when Brandon was chartered as Neshobe, through the town’s official organization in 1784, Vermont’s admission to the Union in 1791, and beyond.

As it turned out, he was just getting started covering 265 years of history in his 45-minute talk. According to Peck, the most likely start date of July 4th celebrations in Brandon was 1799, as highlighted in the Rutland Herald: “All the papers are filled with accounts of the celebration of the Fourth of July. The nativity of the American Republic, seems to have been noticed with testimonies of high satisfaction and joy in almost every city, town, and village in the U. States.”

The 1861 celebration was noted as the best one to date due to the completion of Town Hall, while the fire at the Howe Scale building on July 4, 1872 cancelled Independence Day commemorations until 1875, when a modest celebration led up to the 1876 centennial “monster celebration” that was attended by 10,000 people.

After the pomp and circumstance of the 1876 festivities, there were more subdued celebrations throughout the years, with 1907 being an exception when 3,000 people were in attendance to witness a full day of patriotism and fireworks.

After 1907, Brandon’s July 4 celebrations practically came to a halt due to World War I, a 1922 fire sparked by firecrackers that destroyed the Armory Building, the Great Depression, and World War II. It wasn’t until 1974, when the American Legion Post 55 held a small kick-off parade, that festivities began to reappear in a grander form.

Finally, in 1976, the bicentennial celebration started the modern-day tradition of grand Independence Day celebrations in Brandon. As has been the case for the past 50 years – save for 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a cancellation – this year’s parade and fireworks display were ones for the history books. Bernie and Beth Carr served as grand marshals, as Brandon paid tribute to the country’s 250th anniversary with the theme “Celebrate What Unites Us”.