YORK COUNTY — A naturalization ceremony for candidates receiving American citizenship will be held on Thursday at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
The event is hosted by the Yorktown Comte de Grasse Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security.
A total of 99 eligible candidates from 45 countries will take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States and become American citizens, according to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
The ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public on a space-available basis at the museum.
Prior to the ceremony, members of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Honor Guard and Field Musick Virginia will lead the 99 participants in a patriotic procession from the museum’s education center to open the ceremony. Colors will be presented by the Virginia Society Sons of the Revolution.
Pamata Lotoa, USCIS Norfolk Field Office Immigration Services Officer, will administer the Oath of Allegiance to participants, all of whom will be presented with a certificate of naturalization.
Leon Vaughan, a Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation living history interpreter who took the Oath of Allegiance in 2024, will be the speaker for the event.
Prior to and following the ceremony, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation invites ceremony guests to tour the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, which tells the story of the nation’s founding, through immersive gallery exhibits and historical interpretation in outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.
In time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, “Patrons & Patriots: The Legacy of Nick and Mary Mathews” special exhibition celebrates the patriotism and philanthropy of Greek American immigrants who shaped a legacy in Yorktown.
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is located at 200 Water Street/Route 1020 in Yorktown, near Historic Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield.
The museum is operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and a commemorative partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission.
Museum admission is $20 for adults and $10 for ages 6 through 12. Children ages 5 and under are free. Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free admission with proof of residency.
For information about the museum, call 757-253-4838 or visit jyfmuseums.org.
