Shepherdstown’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of its most significant Revolutionary War happening—the Bee Line March—will move into high gear with a day-long commemorative event on June 14.
The event will be held at the town’s Morgan’s Grove Park from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. It will be a family-friendly event: admission will be free and everyone will be welcome.
The Bee Line March was a trek made in the summer of 1775 by a company of riflemen from Shepherdstown to join General George Washington at his siege of Boston. They covered the 600 miles to Massachusetts in just 25 days. This was remarkable speed for the time, so their journey was quickly dubbed the “Bee Line March” and that nickname has stuck over the centuries.
The June 14 event’s ongoing activities will include the following:
-Music by the West Virginia University Mountaineer Fifes and Drums.
-Military drills and musket and rifle demonstrations by members of the Sons of the American Revolution in period military dress.
-An opportunity to meet members of the West Virginia National Guard’s 201st Field Artillery Regiment. This is the oldest continually active regiment in the U.S. Army, and it proudly traces its lineage back to the Bee Line March company and before. It will have a display of historical materials and artillery pieces.
-An opportunity to meet family descendants of the Bee Line March riflemen; they are coming from as far away as California, Colorado, Florida, and other states.
-Opportunities to learn how to find out if you have Revolutionary War ancestors.
-Displays by local historical organizations and others.
-18th Century games for children.
-Food trucks offering barbeque, soft drinks, and ice cream for purchase.
At 10:30 a.m., the Sons of the American Revolution will march from the park to Elmwood Cemetery, led by the WVU Mountaineer Fifes and Drums. At the cemetery, the Daughters of the American Revolution will conduct an 11 a.m. wreath-laying ceremony at a Bee Line March monument there. Members of the public are welcome to join in the march and watch the ceremony. Afterwards, the marchers will return to the park.
At 2 p.m., there will be a commemorative ceremony in the park pavilion. Speakers will include Major General James Seward, the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard; Lt. Col. Charles Naumann, Commander of the Guard’s 201st Field Artillery Regiment; and Lucia Bosqui Henderson, the Virginia Vice Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Family descendants of the Bee Line March riflemen will be honored, and new interpretive signage explaining the March will be dedicated.
This will be the first of four Bee Line March events being held in Shepherdstown during June and July. The second will be the dedication of a Daughters of the American Revolution wayside marker at Morgan’s Grove Park on Saturday, June 7. Next will be a free concert of martial music from the Revolutionary War era, to be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 22, at Trinity Episcopal Church. The final and perhaps biggest event will be a day-long Revolutionary War reenactors’ encampment at Morgan’s Grove Park on Saturday, July 19.
For more information, follow Beeline March 250th Anniversary on Facebook or contact Peter Smith at 304-876-1139 or pvsmith@frontiernet.net.
The anniversary celebration is so far being made possible by contributions from Jefferson Security Bank, the town of Shepherdstown, the Jefferson County Historical Society, the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown, Historic Shepherdstown, the Friends of Music, the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Shepherdstown Community Club, the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, the Adam Stephen Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Pack Horse Ford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Bridge Gallery, Chapel Hill Farm, the Bakers’ Guild at Peter Burr Farm, Cheryl A. Brown & Frank C. Khare, Erwin & Carol Asam, Peter & Vicki Smith, John & Patty Bachner, Lois Turco, and Sean Murtagh & Kirsten Martin.