Easton Organization Joins Statewide Effort to Celebrate the Nation’s 250th Anniversary

EASTON, CT — The Staples Academy Foundation is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an official America 250 | CT Commission Affiliate, joining a growing network of Connecticut organizations committed to commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

America 250 | CT Affiliate organizations are committed to aligning their programming with the state’s America 250 | CT Commission and have demonstrated that their values align with Connecticut’s guiding principles for the commemoration. Affiliates draw inspiration from four statewide themes: Doing History, For the Common Good, Power of Place, and Tell Inclusive Stories.

The Staples Academy Foundation’s ongoing work at the Old Staples Academy in Easton reflects all four of these themes. The Foundation stewards the oldest public building in Easton, a structure whose history reaches back to Samuel Staples’s 1781 bequest establishing a school for charity scholars, co-educational from its founding, at a time when access to education for the poor and for women was far from guaranteed. This spring, the Foundation opened a new America 250 history gallery at the Old Staples Academy, featuring artifacts and interpretive panels that trace Easton’s story from pre-contact indigenous tools through the nineteenth century, in partnership with the Historical Society of Easton and the Congregational Church of Easton.

“We are honored to be recognized as an America 250 | CT Affiliate,” said Don Boyce, President of the Staples Academy Foundation. “The story of Samuel Staples and the Old Academy is, at its heart, a story about the founding ideals of this nation: opportunity, education, and community. We are proud to share that story as Connecticut and the country mark this historic milestone.”

The Old Staples Academy gallery is open to the public on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through the summer, and by appointment. For more information, visit http://www.staplesacademyfoundation.org or contact info@staplesacademy.org.

For more information about America 250 | CT, visit CT250.org.

About the Staples Academy Foundation

The Staples Academy Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and active community use of the Old Staples Academy, the oldest public building in Easton, Connecticut. The Foundation works in partnership with the Historical Society of Easton and the Congregational Church of Easton to bring Easton’s history to life for residents and visitors alike.