On September 13, 2025, The Colonial Dames of America joined the New York Quadricentennial Committee to mark the 400th anniversary of New York City’s founding. More than 100 guests gathered at the Abigail Adams Smith Ballroom and Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden for an evening of history, reflection, and celebration.

The program, themed “Exploring the Past to Build a Better Future,” featured a Five-Star Panel of experts examining New York during the era of Lenapehoking and its evolution with European settlement. Moderated by Peggy King Jorde, distinguished cultural projects consultant and Harvard Loeb Fellow, the panel included Joe Baker, Lenape Center executive director and descendant of notable Lenape leaders; Col. Adrian T. Bogart III, head of the Quadricentennial Committee; Dutch Consul General Ahmed Dadou; and Pauline Toole, Commissioner of NYC Department of Records and Information Services, offering diverse perspectives on history, shared stories, and cultural preservation.

Guests enjoyed an elegant reception with open house tours of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, a silent auction benefiting academic scholarships for early New York studies, and a celebratory cake cutting. The ceremony concluded with a proclamation reading and a moving performance of the Lenape Flag Song by a Lenape Chief, performed between the U.S. and Dutch flags—a poignant tribute to the city’s shared history.

The evening brought together members, scholars, and community partners to honor New York’s heritage, celebrate its 400-year legacy, and inspire continued study of the city’s earliest eras.