144th annual Wyoming Monument ceremony set for Monday, July 4

Bill O’Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—WYOMING — The Wyoming Commemorative Association will hold its 144th annual observance at the Wyoming Monument National Historic Site, Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, on Monday, July 4, at 10 a.m.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Carla Mulford, Professor of English at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. She is an expert on Benjamin Franklin and her address is entitled: "Benjamin Franklin and the Wyoming Valley."

Among the books she has authored are "The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Franklin," and "Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire."

The chair and master of ceremonies for the event is WBRE-TV news anchor Candice Kelly.

The Wyoming Valley Concert Band will perform at 10 a.m. The observance ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. and will include the traditional floral tributes. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

The annual ceremony began in 1878 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming, the area's most significant Revolutionary War battle, which was fought on July 3, 1778.

Each year, up to 1,000 people turn out for the commemorative ceremony.

On July 3, 1778, the fields around what is now the Wyoming Monument ran red with the blood of patriots who were massacred by a combined force of British troops and their Iroquois allies during the Revolutionary War.

Construction on the monument — which marks the gravesite for bones of the victims — began in July 1833, but was suspended due to a lack of funds when the monument reached 20 feet. Construction resumed in 1841 when the Ladies Luzerne Monumental Association, which became the Wyoming Monument Association in 1860, raised money to complete the memorial at a cost of $8,000.

On the 100th anniversary of the battle on July 3, 1878, a commemoration service drew more than 50,000 to hear the main speaker for the event, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

In 2011, Dr. Joseph Mattioli and his wife, Rose — now both deceased — donated $100,000 to restore the 66-foot, 6-inch monument after it was severely damaged.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.