According to juneteenth.com: “Juneteenth is the oldest internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas[,] with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.”

Buffalo has been commemorating Juneteenth with an annual festival since 1976 — this year will mark the 50th Anniversary of Juneteenth celebrations in the city, making it “one of the world’s longest-running and most attended summer festivals.”

In honor of Juneteenth, all regularly-priced tickets for guided tours of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site will be discounted by $4.

Visits to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site are by guided tour only.

Tours are scheduled hourly, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Our last tour starts at 3:30 p.m.