STURBRIDGE, Mass. - Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, a new plaque at the Old Burial Ground in Sturbridge was unveiled Friday.

The new plaque honors the more than 64 Revolutionary War patriots who are buried at the historic cemetery. July 4, 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary and several events are leading up to the day.

Town leaders were joined by the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution who organized the unveiling.

“We wanted to select Sturbridge, number one because they honor these revolutionary war soldiers, 64, 65 of them every year for Memorial Day, and it’s a great honor to have the plaque placed there,” said Beatrice Carolyn Nutt, the Massachusetts state regent of the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

“The Daughters of the American Revolution is actively seeking sites that we can commemorate with these America's 250 makers so that no generation ever forgets what the men and women of the American Revolution did to fight for our independence from Great Britain,” said Pamela Rouse Wright, the president general of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

“The group of people I see here today is very heartwarming and I’m just so happy,” said Southbridge Town Historian Bob Briere. “Wouldn’t they be amazed? What is it, 247 years after they’re interred to see this group of people honoring them?”

The society was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. Their mission is to focus on education, historic preservation and patriotism. They welcome any women over 18 who can prove lineal decent from an American patriot.