Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Museum kicked off the New Year on Thursday, January 1, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first-flag “Grand Union” flag-raising.

This event honors a defining moment of the American Revolution when General George Washington established the Continental Army and responded to escalating British pressure with the raising of the Great Union Flag on Prospect Hill. As always, members of the public, including families with school children, were invited to participate.

The event brought together historic Massachusetts Militia units, displaying their flags for the first time in Somerville. Featured speakers include Somerville native Major General Richard Johnson, Deputy Director of FORSCOM for the U.S. Army National Guard, who grew up within sight of Prospect Hill. Reflecting on both his childhood in Somerville and decades of military service, Johnson speaks to the way history is carried forward through places, people, and public engagement.

As Johnson observes, “History doesn’t live only in museums—it lives in the places we walk past, the choices we inherit, and the obligations we accept.”His remarks underscore how institutions like the Somerville Museum bring history beyond their walls and into the civic landscape, activating sites like Prospect Hill as spaces of shared memory, responsibility, and participation.

Following Johnson, the audience heard from historical interpreter Sean Osborne, portraying Continental Army soldier Primus Hall—son of enslaved parents Delia and Prince Hall and later a respected educator and abolitionist —who enlisted in January 1776 in pursuit of his freedom. The program also featured Phillis Wheatley’s 1775 poem “To His Excellency George Washington,”written while she herself was enslaved, followed by John Koopman’s dramatic portrayal of Washington’s arrival on horseback.

“This event marks 250 years of shared history and reaffirms our collective responsibility to create a better tomorrow,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “May we continue to lead through our values, striving to build a city where equity, innovation, freedom, and opportunity thrive.”