Celebrate and learn about the 250th anniversary of Jefferson County, WV’s most significant Revolutionary War event: the Bee Line March.
In that march, during the early days of the War, a company of 98 riflemen from in and around Mecklenburg, VA (now Shepherdstown, WV) 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 Shepherdstown’s Morgan’s Grove Park 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 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 to find out if you have Revolutionary War ancestors.
-18th Century games for children.
A 10:30 am 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. 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.
-A 2:00 pm 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.
-Food trucks will offer barbeque, soft drinks, and ice cream for purchase.
If you would like more information about the event, please contact Peter Smith at 304-876-1139 or pvsmith@frontiernet.net.
