Sponsorships

Harford 250 Sponsorships


By underwriting a Sestercentennial event, you or your business become part of history!

We expect people from all parts of Harford County, as well as visitors from outside the area, to attend events.

Help us celebrate Harford 250!

Marquis de Lafayette – $25,000

To become a Marquis de Lafayette sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Recognition plaque
  • Primary sponsor of Harford 250
  • Opportunity to offer remarks at three events
  • Prominent recognition in program and logo on banner at three events
  • VIP table, tent or seating (event dependent) and six tickets to three events
  • Special value card in business deck
  • Prominent recognition on Home Page of website
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Newsletter

A national hero in both America and France, Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer, volunteered as a Continental Army officer when he was 19 years old. His contributions to the American Revolutionary cause can not be overstated both in terms of leadership in battles, financial and political assistance. He is credited with leading his troops through Harford on the way to the decisive Battle of Yorktown, where he blocked the forces of General Cornwallis until American and French troops could arrive and defeat the British. The City of Havre de Grace and the Town of Bel Air both credit their names to General Lafayette.

Ernest Burke – $15,000

To become an Ernest Burke sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Recognition plaque
  • Co-sponsor of Fall Sports Festival
  • Opportunity to offer remarks at Fall Sports Festival
  • Prominent recognition in program and logo on banner at Fall Sports Festival
  • VIP table or tent and six tickets to Fall Sports Festival
  • Special value card in business deck
  • Recognition on Home Page of website
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Newsletter

Born in 1924, in Perryville and later moving to Havre de Grace, Ernest Burke enlisted in the first Black unit of the U.S. Marines at age 18. He earned a medal as a sharp shooter and fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II. While stationed in Hawaii, he began playing baseball seriously as a member of the Marines Black Baseball Team. A natural all-around athlete, friends encouraged him to apply to the Negro League after the War. He did, and began playing for the Baltimore Elites in 1947 as a pitcher. He became a vocal advocate for the community and is credited with bringing the team to the Havre de Grace to play local teams. After baseball, he worked as an equipment tester for Knox Construction Company for twenty years, cared for his grandson who suffered from juvenile diabetes, taught tennis in area clubs throughout the metropolitan area and became a motivational speaker at schools and colleges receiving numerous awards and becoming the subject of TV appearances, newspaper and magazine articles.

J. Alexis Shriver – $10,000

To become a J. Alexis Shriver sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Recognition plaque
  • Co-sponsor of Opening Event
  • Opportunity to offer brief remarks at Opening Event
  • Recognition in program and logo on banner at Opening Event
  • VIP table or tent and six tickets to Opening Event
  • Special value card in business deck
  • Recognition on Home Page of website
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Newsletter

Shriver owned Olney Farm in Joppa. He had an uncanny gift for recognizing promising new technologies. Shriver started Harford’s first phone company in his home on Old Joppa Road, eventually selling this company to C & P Telephone Company. He then went on to start Harford’s first electric company and a municipal water company, all while researching and writing pamphlets for the U.S. Commerce Department on various agricultural subjects and running a 264-acre farm. His love of history led him to serve as President of the Historical Society of Harford County for many years, author two books:  Washington’s Trips Through Maryland and Lafayette in Harford County, and to initiate the Maryland Roadside Historical Marker Program.

Kate Lord – $5,000

To become a Kate Lord sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Recognition plaque
  • Sponsor recognition for two event activities (storytelling, performance)
  • Recognition in program and logo on banner at Opening Event
  • Six tickets (total) to the sponsored event(s)
  • Special value card in business deck
  • Recognition on Home Page of website
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Newsletter

Alfred Hilton – $2,500

To become an Alfred Hilton sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Recognition plaque
  • Sponsor recognition for one activity (storytelling, performance) at one event
  • Recognition in program and logo on banner at sponsored event
  • Four tickets to the sponsored event
  • Special value card in business deck
  • Recognition on Home Page of website
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Newsletter

Hilton was one of only two Harford County Civil War soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor. Born free on his family’s Gravel Hill Road farm, he lived there until he enlisted in Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Troops in August 1863. Sergeant Hilton was mortally wounded in September 1864 at the Battle of New Market Heights near Richmond. When enemy fire shattered his leg, he was carrying the American flag as part of the unit’s color guard. While calling out “Boys, save the colors,” he handed the flag to fellow soldiers before it touched the ground. Sergeant Hilton died of his wounds a month later in a segregated hospital.

John Rodgers – $1,000

To become a John Rodgers sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.

  • Certificate of Appreciation
  • Card in business deck OR HSHC Memoir Book
  • Recognition in program
  • Early access to event tickets
  • Two tickets for admission to one event
  • Listing on website
  • Newsletter

In 1811, Rodgers, in command of the President, was ordered to cruise off the U.S. coast to stop the impressment of American sailors by the British frigate Guerrière. He encountered a British ship, which he apparently took to be the Guerrière, and gave chase. Accounts of what happened vary, but a battle took place, and the British ship, the Little Belt, was defeated and cut to bits. The incident was one of those leading up to the War of 1812.

Mary Risteau – $250

To become a Mary Risteau sponsor please complete your donation here

  • Certificate of Appreciation
  • Card in business deck OR HSHC Memoir Book
  • Early Access to event tickets
  • Two tickets for admission to one event
  • Listing on website
  • Newsletter

One month after the 19th Amendment provided women with the right to vote, Harford County elected Mary Risteau to the Maryland House of Delegates, the first woman elected to the Maryland House. She went on to become the first woman to serve in the Maryland State Senate and on the Maryland State Board of Education. Her firsts continued when she was elected as the first woman delegate to the 1936 Democratic National Convention and to serve as Clerk of the Court in the Third Circuit Court District in 1937. In addition to all of these achievements, Risteau also managed the family farm and earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore while serving in the legislature.

Matilda O’Neill – $25

To become a Matilda O’Neill sponsor please complete your donation here

  • Vinyl Decal
  • Listing on Website
  • Newsletter

During the War of 1812, the British sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. After several attacks in Cecil County, they proceeded to Havre de Grace and attacked on May 3, 1813. they proceeded to Havre de Grace. Most of the residents fled in fear, but Lt. John O’Neill single-handedly defended the town. He was wounded, captured, and imprisoned on the British ship Maidstone. The town was sacked, and burned, with only two houses and the Episcopal Church spared. O’Neill’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Matilda, pleaded with the Admiral of the fleet for her father’s life. Admiral Cockburn was so impressed by the girl’s bravery that he released O’Neill unharmed, and rewarded Matilda by giving her his gold snuff box and sword.

Non-Profits: Museums, Gardens, Churches, Civic Organizations

Contribution: $500 OR 5 volunteers to assist with general events activities for one four-hour shift each at a major event Listing on website and in event programs

Website listing of 2023-2024 events on calendar Social media posting for a maximum of five events Social media profile of organization

Display area (10’ X 10”) at opening Event

To become Non-Profit sponsor please email Harford250@harfordhistory.org or call the Historical Society at 410-838-7691.