Historical Society Project Manager Joseph Martelli and President Len Rider.
Remembering the Forgotten
Robinson Township
Historical Society is
researching French
and Indian War graves
to preserve the
history of the fallen.
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icmags.com
J
ust as 2017 ended with a major event for the Robinson Township
Historical Society, 2018 begins with another promising mission.
The RTHS recently completed an ambitious three-year project to honor
soldiers and militia from the American Revolution who are buried in
Robinson Township’s cemeteries. The graves of 48 soldiers were located—24 in
Union Presbyterian Cemetery and 24 in Montours Presbyterian Cemetery—
with the names carefully researched, verified and inscribed on an impressive
monument made of Pennsylvania black granite. The event was unprecedented:
Robinson became the first community ever to recognize the heroes of the
Revolution in this way. In a solemn ceremony that included local and state
dignitaries, veterans, reenactors and clergy, the monument was dedicated on
Veterans Day 2017 at the American Legion War Memorial Plaza on Route 60.
Now the RTHS is embarking on a journey into the local history of the French
and Indian War (1756-1763). The next several months will be dedicated to
researching local cemeteries to locate the graves of those who fought and are
buried here. These names will be engraved on a monument to be dedicated later
this year. The task will not be an easy one, according to RTHS Project Manager
Joe Martelli.
“The records are so old—predating the American Revolution—that many
have been lost or destroyed by fire,” he says.
Our area is rich in the history of the French and Indian War. In our busy,
growing township, it’s hard to imagine the Robinson area when it was virgin
forest and its only inhabitants were Native American Indians. In the 1700s,
however, western Pennsylvania was the “new frontier,” and European settlers