A pink granite monument honoring the 13 known Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Jefferson County recently was unveiled in front of the Jefferson County Administration Office.
Members of the Louisiana Purchase Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution created a monument to honor 13 Revolutionary War veterans buried in Jefferson County.
The Louisiana Purchase Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution took on the project to celebrate and commemorate the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.
Debra Politte, co-chairperson of the local DAR chapter’s America 250 Celebration Committee, said about 115 people attended the monument unveiling on Nov. 9, which was held mostly inside due to rain.
“It was very well attended,” she said, adding that DAR members from across the state attended.
Inside the Administrative Office, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman offered a few remarks and County Executive Dennis Gannon presented a proclamation to the Louisiana Chapter members, including Politte, Vera McCullough and Mikelyn Stacey, to commemorate the dedication of the monument.
The monument lists Revolutionary War Patriots Peter Hildebrand, James McMeans, Stephen Mapes, Jesse Knighton, Bartholomew Herrington, William Moss, Joseph Moore, John Stewart, Elijah Baker, Lawrence Angell, John Hildebrand, Thomas Johnston and William Drennen.
Politte said descendants of Peter and John Hildebrand, Bartholomew Herrington and William Moss attended the ceremony.
When the rain stopped, the ceremony moved outside for the unveiling.
Politte said a bell rang as DAR members took turns reading the names of each of the soldiers. The tarp protecting the monument was then removed.
She said the monument is about 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall and has room to add more names if other soldiers are verified.
Not all of these veterans are buried in a cemetery, said Lynne Jackson, regent of the Louisiana Purchase Chapter, which organized in 1916.
She said the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, started an America 250 Special Committee to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The committee created a Stars & Stripes Forever America 250 Celebration Grant. which awarded funding to the local chapter for its monument project.
“With added funds from the chapter and generous donations from businesses and individuals in the county, a monument naming those 13 patriots has been created,” Jackson said.
Each attendee at the ceremony received a paperback copy of a book the Louisiana Purchase Chapter compiled about the 13 soldiers confirmed to be buried in the county.
“The book lists all the patriots, what battles they fought in and descriptions of the battles they fought in, as well as information about the committee,” Politte said.
She said the group plans to give hardbound copies of the book to libraries in the county.