SHERIDAN — The Sheridan Historical Society will usher in the Memorial Day weekend with a special exhibit commemorating the upcoming 75th anniversary of D-Day.

The free exhibit will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, May 25. A number of interesting artifacts have been loaned to the society for the occasion, including items belonging to the late 82nd Airborne paratrooper Spencer Wurst of Clymer. The 82nd’s nighttime jump into enemy territory prepared the way for the thousands of infantry troops that came ashore on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, to begin to liberate France from the Germans. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the D-Day operations paved the way for the end of World War II in Europe.

Saturday’s events will also include a bake sale and quilt raffle, the proceeds from which will go toward the painting of the society’s Historical Center. Earlier this spring, the society was pleased to see the installation of a new roof, made possible by the support of a grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation.

At 10 a.m. Monday, the society will celebrate Memorial Day with a special program about the Rev. John Spencer, a Revolutionary War veteran who made his home in Sheridan but is known to people throughout Western New York as the founder of at least 13 churches.

A missionary sent to the New York frontier by Congregationalist ministers in Connecticut, Rev. Spencer traveled the extent of the Holland Purchase to baptize, marry, and provide spiritual support to the area’s earliest settlers. As JCC Associate Professor of History Traci Langworthy will share, the reverend’s travels also made him a firsthand witness to the War of 1812 in Western New York.

The society’s regular exhibits will also be on display throughout the morning on Memorial Day. Weather permitting, visitors will also have the opportunity to view an original World War II scout car outside the society’s Historical Center.

The Sheridan Historical Center is located at Sheridan Center, on the corner of U.S. Route 20 and Center Road. All events are free and open to the public.