Wyoming Monument
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| Wyoming Monument | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Wyoming, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1833 |
| Architect: | Walter, Thomas Ustick; et.al. |
| Architectural style(s): | Exotic Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | May 13, 2002 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 02000509 |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Wyoming Monument is a Revolutionary War Monument and gravesite, located in the Borough of Wyoming, Pennsylvania in Luzerne County.
The Monument marks the gravesite of the bones of victims of the Wyoming Massacre, which took place on July 3, 1778. Local residents banded together to defend the area against an invasion of British Tories as well as pro-Tory Native Americans. The battle ended in defeat for the colonial fighters and considerable brutuality followed the actual Battle.
Although the actual battle took place on July 3, 1778, it was not until October 22, 1778 that a recovery party felt the region safe enough to return to begin to recover the bodies of those slain in the battle. The remains were gathered and interred in a common grave, only to be dug up again at public ceremonies in 1832 — ceremonies attended by some of the then elderly survivors of the Massacre. In 1833, the bones were reinterred in a vault under the present Monument.
Ownership of the Monument is held by the Wyoming Monument Association, originally formed as the Ladies Monumental Association. It is one of the oldest all-female historical groups in the United States.
Each year, beginning in 1878 for the 100th anniversary of the Battle, a commemorative ceremony is held on the grounds of the stone obelisk monument. The ceremony is sponsored by the Wyoming Commemorative Association.
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
Oscar Jewel Harvey, History of Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley"
