250th Anniversary of the Boston Massacre

5 Mar 2020         Culpeper and Warrenton, VA

     This evening the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter commemorated the Boston Massacre with ceremonies at the Culpeper County Courthouse in Culpeper and the Fauquier County Courthouse in Warrenton.  In each ceremony a brief history of the event was read, a roll call of those killed, and church bells were rung.  The church bells sounded at 9:00 pm, about the same time as they did 250 years ago in Boston.

     In Warrenton the co-chairs of the ceremony were Tom Hamill of the CMM, Susan Hamill of the Fauquier Court House Chapter DAR, and Aaron Hamill of the Ashby Gap Society, C.A.R. CMM members participating in the program in period dress were Tom Hamill and Bill Schwetke, and Aaron Hamill, Don Hollar and Greg Schumacher (photographer) also participated.
     Other organizations participating in the program included the Liberty High School JROTC Color Guard and the Warrenton Presbyterian Choir.

Virginia State SAR President Bill Schwetke provides an introduction at the Ceremony - Photo courtesy of the Warrenton Times Dispatch

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     On the steps of the Culpeper Courthouse another commemoration of the Boston Massacre was held.  The CMM were joined by VFW Post 7524 and the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter DAR who co-hosted the event.  Dale Corey of the Col James Wood II Chapter also participated in this ceremony. 

The Combined VFW and SAR Color Guard at the Bostobn Massacre Ceremony, photo courtesy of the Culpeper Star-Exponent.

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The Bronze Sestercentennial Recognition Medal is awarded for accruing 25 points in qualifying ceremonies.

Link to Form

Points
Chair/Co-Chair - 20
Participant - 10
In period dress - 5
Attend - 3

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     Several Certificates of Appreciation were presented to the organizations that helped us keep alive the memory of  the Boston Massacre.

Bill Schwetke, on left, presents a Certificate of Appreciation to Father Ben Maas of St James Episcopal Church in Warrenton who helped arrange the ringing of his church's bells - his wife and daughter acturally came in that night to ring the bells.

Carrie Horvath of the Fauquier Public Library arranged for the use of the steps of the John Barton Payne Building, which was our backup to the County Courthouse.

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