Harrisburg. Pennsylvania lights the way in National Semiquincentennial Tribute

Pennsylvania joined states across the country on Friday, April 18, in lighting up landmarks, homes and civic spaces as part of Two Lights for Tomorrow, a national initiative marking the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s historic ride and the dawn of America’s journey toward independence.

Inspired by that original lantern signal, Two Lights for Tomorrow invited Americans— at home, at visitor centers, at cultural and historical sites, in community spaces, and in government buildings— display two lights as a collective gesture of reflection and recommitment to a brighter, more unified future. I

In Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Capitol was illuminated to mark the occasion. America250PA, the Commonwealth’s official Semiquincentennial commission, coordinated Pennsylvania’s participation in this national tribute.

From the illumination of the Capitol dome to lanterns on front porches and borough buildings, every light helped tell our shared story, said Cassandra Coleman, executive director of America250PA. “As communities lit up across the country, the message was simple but powerful: we’re in this together. The Semiquincentennial isn’t just a milestone — it’s a movement, and it’s only just begun.”

“It was here in Pennsylvania that our story of freedom and democracy began nearly 249 years ago,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said,
“when leaders from across our new nation gathered in Philadelphia to chart our own course and set ourselves on a path of self-determination – and in the two-and-a-half centuries since, and it’s been here where that story has continued to be written.

To learn more or see how other communities participated, visit va250.org/two-lights.