Granville’s Old Colony Burying Ground boasts the gravesites of 23 veterans of the American Revolution – among the largest number of all graveyards in Ohio. From 2-4:30 p.m. July 3, visitors to the Old Colony will be able to “Meet the Patriots” as members of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution bring the veterans to life at their headstones in the historic graveyard.
Dressed in period military uniform, SAR members will narrate the wartime experiences of 11 of Granville’s Revolutionary veterans. Five of them will be accompanied by their “wives,” played by members of the DAR and dressed in period-appropriate clothing. Activities and patriotic souvenirs are planned for kids, along with the opportunity to be photographed with George Washington.
Visitors are invited to enter the Old Colony from either the northwest gate on South Main Street or from the South Prospect Street steps on the west side of the graveyard. Enter at any time; there will be no waiting lines. Hosts will greet guests and get them started on a circuit of stops to visit with the patriots. The re-enactors will be stationed at their headstones throughout the yard, and visitors may begin a tour with any of them. Tour maps of the veteran headstones will be available.
In case of rain, the event will be held from 2-4:30 p.m. July 5.
Meet the Patriots, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Granville Union Cemetery Board and supported by six chapters of the Ohio Societies SAR and DAR. The veteran re-enactors are members of three central Ohio SAR chapters (Hocking Valley, Camp Charlotte and Ben Franklin chapters), and the veterans’ wives will be represented by members of three DAR chapters (Newark Hetuck, Elizabeth Sherman Reese and Pickaway Plains chapters).
For those who wish to visit the honored veterans’ graves before July 3, all the Revolutionary patriots’ Old Colony headstones have been decorated with recognizable red, white and blue bows, with laminated tags identifying each veteran. Self-guided tour maps of the sites are available in the flyer mailbox just inside the north entry gate on South Main Street. The decorations will remain on the headstones through the summer.
Information submitted by the Granville Union Cemetery Board.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Meet the Patriots brings Revolutionary War heroes to life in Granville
Reporting by Special to Granville Sentinel, USA TODAY NETWORK / Newark Advocate
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By Special to Granville Sentinel, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
