The Benton County Bicentennial Commission coordinated programs and activities in Benton County to commemorate the American Revolution bicentennnial. Notable activities included restoration of the Philomath College Building (now home of the Benton County Historical Society) and bicentennial themes for the annual Benton County Fair and the Marys Peak Trek. Many bicentennial events were sponsored by the OSU Campus Bicentennnial Committee, including production of a film,
Sarah J. (Sally) Wilson served as chair of the Commission and as a member of the OSU Campus Bicentennial Committee. Wilson was the University Archivist from 1969 until 1978.
The Benton County Bicentennial Commission Records document the development of programs and activities in Benton County as well as in Corvallis and on the Oregon State University campus to commemorate the bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1976. The records consist of correspondence; grant proposals and funding requests; meeting minutes and reports; publications; and posters, certificates, and ephemera. The records document activities of the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission of Oregon, the OSU Campus Bicentennial Committee, and the Corvallis American Revolution Bicentennial Task Force.
The records include materials pertaining to the Northwest Trailblazers, the junior historians of the Oregon Territory; Bikecentennial '76 activities; and the National Endowment for the Humanities' American Issues Forum. Of particular note is the January 1976 issue of the
Collection is open for research.
The materials in this collection were arranged and placed in folders at the time this finding aid was prepared. There was no original order or arrangement and the materials were previously not foldered.
Benton County Bicentennial Commission Records, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
Additional materials pertaining to the bicentennial are available in the