Come to Shepherdstown WV's Morgan's Grove Park on June 14 to celebrate and learn about the 250th anniversary of Jefferson County's most significant Revolutionary War happening: the Bee Line March.
In that march, during the early days of the War, a company of 98 riflemen from the Shepherdstown area responded to a call from the Continental Congress to aid General Washington at the siege of Boston and trekked 600 miles to Massachusetts in just 25 days during the summer of 1775. This was remarkable speed for the time, so this trek was immediately nicknamed the "Bee Line" march. That nickname has stuck over the centuries.
The event will start at 10:00 am and last until about 4 pm. This will be a family-friendly event: admission will be free and everyone will be welcome. The day's ongoing activities will include the following:
-Music by the West Virginia University Mountaineer Fifes and Drums.
-Military drills and musket and rifle demonstrations by members of the Sons of the American Revolution in period military dress.
-An opportunity to meet members of the West Virginia National Guard's 201st Field Artillery Regiment. Based in Fairmont, this is the oldest continually active regiment in the U.S. Army, and it proudly traces its lineage back to the Bee Line March company. It will have a display of historical materials along with several artillery pieces.
-Displays by local historical organizations and others.
-An opportunity to meet family descendants of the Bee Line March riflemen; they are coming from as far away as California, Colorado, Florida, and other states.
-Opportunities to learn how to find out if you have Revolutionary War ancestors.
-18th Century games for children.
-Food trucks will offer barbeque, soft drinks, and ice cream for purchase.
At 10:30 am, members of the Sons of the American Revolution march from Morgan's Grove Park to Elmwood Cemetery, led by the WVU Mountaineer Fifes and Drums. At the cemetery, the Daughters of the American Revolution will conduct an 11:00 am wreath-laying ceremony at a Bee Line March monument there. Members of the public are welcome to join in the march and watch the ceremony. After the ceremony, the marchers will return to the park.
At 2:00 pm, there will be a commemorative ceremony in the park pavilion. Speakers will include Major General James Seward, the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard; Lt. Col. Charles Naumann, Commander of the Guard's 201st Field Artillery Regiment; Lucia Bosqui Henderson, the Virginia Vice Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association; and Jefferson County Historian Doug Perks. Family descendants of the Bee Line March riflemen will be honored, and new interpretive signage explaining the March will be dedicated.
This will be the first of four events being held in Shepherdstown during June and July to commemorate the Bee Line March. The second will be the dedication of a Daughters of the American Revolution wayside marker at Morgan's Grove Park on Saturday, June 7. Next will be a free concert of martial music from the Revolutionary War era, to be held at 3 pm Sunday, June 22, at Trinity Episcopal Church. The final--and biggest--event will be a day-long Revolutionary War reenactors' encampment at Morgan's Grove Park on Saturday, July 19.
For more information, contact Peter Smith at 304-876-1139 or
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You may also like the following events from Beeline March 250th Anniversary:
- Next month, 7th June, 11:00 am, Dedication of new Shepherdstown DAR Patriots Marker in Shepherdstown
- Next month, 22nd June, 03:00 pm, Concert of Revolutionary War Music in Shepherdstown, WV in Shepherdstown
- This July, 19th July, 10:00 am, Encampment of Revolutionary War Reenactors at Morgan's Grove Park in Shepherdstown
Also check out other
Concerts in Shepherdstown,
Music events in Shepherdstown,
Food & Drink events in Shepherdstown.
