By Sherry Kline, Special to Sumner Newscow — This year is the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And we are proud to announce that the Wellington Public Library, the Chisholm Trail Museum, and the Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society are partnering to host the exhibit “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” from Humanities, Kansas.

Wellington is very fortunate to be one of 46 cities that received the grant allowing them to host this traveling exhibition from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  The exhibition also includes the section “Kansas 1776,” showcasing what was happening on the land that would become the state of Kansas.

When Humanities Kansas announced that grants would be awarded to entities that wanted to host the “Declaration 1776…” exhibit, Silvia Adkins, Wellington Public Library, and Sherry Kline, Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society, each filled out the paperwork and submitted grant applications to bring the exhibit to Wellington.

After learning that two grants had been written to bring the exhibit to Wellington and discussing it with Humanities Kansas, the library and the SCHGS decided to partner with each other and the Chisholm Trail Museum to bring the America 250, National Declaration of Independence Exhibition to Wellington.

As part of the America 250 celebration and the “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” exhibit, Jim Bales, from the Chisholm Trail Museum, will present “County Down, Ireland, to the Cherokee Strip: the story of a Revolutionary War Patriot & his Sumner County Descendants.”

Bales will present the story of Private Thomas Brandon, from County Down, Ireland.  Private Brandon is an ancestor of Bales’ wife, Sunni Brandon Bales.  Private Brandon fought in several battles with McCree’s Company and also with Nathaniel Green during the American Revolution and later received a land grant in Green County, Tennessee, for his service.

The presentation will be on June 29, at 6:30 p.m., at Cowley College, Room 113, 2208 Davis-White Loop, Wellington.  This program is free and open to the public; reservations are not necessary.

The exhibit will be in Wellington at the Chisholm Trail Museum, 502 N. Washington, from June 27 to July 26, 2026, and will be open from 1 to 5 p.m.  Check the museum’s website at https://www.ctmuseumks.com/.

For more information about the presentation or the exhibit, or to view the hours, contact the Chisholm Trail Museum at 620-326-3820, the Wellington Public Library at 620-326-2011, or the Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society on Tuesdays at 620-440-4245. After hours: Jane at 620-447-3266; Sherry at 316-833-6161.