Historical Society hosts Revolutionary War memorial dedication

Apr. 22—History lovers and Revolutionary War descendants gathered at First Christian Church in Richmond on Friday, April 19 to commemorate the installation of a new memorial.

Spectators were treated to patriotic music from the Central Kentucky Brass Quartet and a Color Guard procession began and ended the dedication.

Guest speaker Cheri Daniels, director of the National Sons of the American Revolution Genealogical Research Library in Louisville, also gave a moving speech about recognizing and preserving history while moving forward with it in mind.

"We get to tell the stories that remind us of who we are and how messy the journey has been. and make no mistake, those names on the plaque were human beings who struggled with the decisions they made...on both sides," Daniels said.

She added, "They (our ancestors) gave us the foundational seeds of liberty and freedom, conceptualized but only partially implemented at that time. If we keep our eyes on and nurture those seeds, we will achieve those concepts of liberty and freedom for all...the seeds we planted were strong and continue to grow and dictate who we must become."

According to Madison County Historical Society President Sharon Graves, Madison County is rich with history worth preserving, especially being the only county west of the Alleghenies to have had a Revolutionary battle and a Civil War battle on its land.

The Madison County Revolutionary War Patriot's Memorial Plaque recognizes the Revolutionary War patriots buried within the current boundaries of Madison County, meaning that they have documented service.

The current list of names inscribed on it includes four women and one slave who was killed at Fort Boonesborough.

Graves explained that the historical society decided to recognize "patriots" instead of "service members" because some populations assisted in the Revolutionary War who could not officially serve in the military, including those women who provided assistance during the Sept. 1778 Siege of Boonesboro.

Phillip Seyfrit reported that this endeavor took two years and cost over $12,000; however, Graves noted there is still work to be done.

"We hope to continue doing research. There are 19 empty spots that we can fill up (on the memorial), and we have one name right now that we're looking at that we think we can put on there," she said. "We eventually will be putting together a book with as much information as we can of the 67 names that are on there."

The memorial plaque has been installed and can be found at the entrance of Irvine-McDowell Park in Richmond.