It's an uncharted Saturday for the Christiana Historical Society (CHS).

CHS, which has held a "Saturdays on the Porch" program every first Saturday of the month from April through November since 2024, will hold a special edition of the program from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 4, at the Brinton House, 17 Green St., Christiana, which is the group's headquarters.

"It's been around the Fourth of July, but this is the first year that it's actually on the Fourth of July," said CHS member Patti Shrom. "So that kind of makes it extra special for us."

Along with this iteration of the program falling on America's birthday, there are two anniversaries being celebrated this year that give the event extra meaning. This year is the 175th anniversary of the Christiana Resistance, the successful armed escape of four slaves that helped ignite the Civil War. It is also, of course, America's 250th birthday this year.

The event will feature many of the activities of a typical Saturday on the Porch, including live music, drinks, food and fellowship. Special for this event will be patriotic music provided by the Christiana Singers, an a capella and four-part harmony group that are all alumni members of the LanChester Chorus.

CHS also asks attendees to bring any vintage vehicles they may have - anything that "represents our USA transportation history." There will also be a special celebration bell for visitors to ring, provided by Glenn and Cindy Kendig, Christiana Freight Station and the National Railway Historical Society.

There will also be free tours of the Resistance museum, and corn hole games will be available.

Drinks, including coffee, iced tea and lemonade; snacks, including homemade baked goods and parfaits; and ice creams provided by Christiana Borough will be available to attendees. The entire event is free of cost; donations are encouraged. Nonperishable food donations are also welcome to help Christiana in the effort to win the Battle of the Boroughs food drive.

"They've all supported us so well," Shrom said of the local community. "We're not selling anything regarding the food or coffee. We normally charge a little bit, but this time we're going to just waive the costs to make it a celebration day."

Proceeds from the event will go toward the ongoing restoration of the 1867 Brinton House, which is associated with the Christiana Resistance of 1851. The Brinton family was also involved in the Underground Railroad, and the house was reportedly a stop on that network.

The outside of the restoration is mostly finished; most of the current work is to stabilize the inside of the building and restore its smokestack.

"We've made a lot of progress since the beginning of May," Shrom said. "It's really a nice piece of history for Christiana that the public can view. People pass by it all the time, and it's kind of like a feature historical reference for us in our town."

With the extra significance given to the event, CHS is making a particular effort to honor veterans and first responders at this iteration of the Saturdays on the Porch.

"We're hoping that they'll come for the morning and just enjoy the time on the porch," Shrom said of veterans and first responders. "The main goal of the porch is to gather community together to talk, talk to each other, learn about each other, get to know other people and put away the cell phones and really get more into interactive communications and participation, just how the old-time porches were."

For more information about the society, upcoming events and the restoration project, visit http://www.christianahistoricalsociety.com or search for "The Christiana Historical Society" on Facebook. Those with questions may email info@christianahistoricalsociety.com.