THE GREATEST AMERICA 250 CELEBRATION

 Dear Fellow American: 

Welcome. You are invited to join us for the only America 250 celebration of its kind in the nation. We plan to have the most fun!

Filmmaker Ken Burns is serving as guest curator for Our America 250. In fact, more than 250 partners and the entire Greater Peoria community have come together to organize semiquincentennial exciting exhibitions, programs, and events with a unique Midwestern perspective. Watch the video message from Ken Burns. 

Peoria, Illinois is known as a quintessential American community. There have been more than a hundred generations in this ancient Illinois River Valley. We will feature the diverse stories of Midwestern America from indigenous cultures to French settlers, abolitionists and emancipation to the Great Migration and Black Renaissance, new immigrants and decoy carvers, technology and invention, entertainment and culture, agriculture and industry. In the midst of it all, we're hosting an exhibition on American toys!

As we consider the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we are proud to host the first printing of the Declaration of Independence (1776) ever to come to Peoria, Illinois. In fact, national documents collector Seth Kaller will feature more than 40 of the most important documents in our history ranging from a signed copy of the U.S. Constitution, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. 

To carry out this extraordinary celebration, we have partnered with the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Alice Walton's Art Bridges Foundation, and Colonial Williamsburg who is lending their famous "dollar bill" George Washington portrait by artist Gilbert Stuart. 

Sign up here to receive exclusive and inspiring America 250 updates and invitations to help plan your visit during the Midwest's most dynamic exhibitions, programs, and celebrations marking this anniversary. 

On behalf of the board, staff and members of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, thank you for celebrating with us.  

With gratitude for Our America 250,

John D. Morris
President and CEO