Ceremony held in Lewisburg to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant
By Matthew Young, RealWV
LEWISBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia Semiquincentennial Commission, on Wednesday, made a stop in Lewisburg, as part of their commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant. Fought on Oct. 10, 1774 along the Ohio River, the battle – which pitted the Virginia Militia against the Mingo and Shawnee forces – represented the only significant conflict of Dunmore’s War.
“It’s incredibly notable that Col. Andrew Lewis – for whom the city is named after – gathered troops right here in Lewisburg, for what is thought by many to be the very first battle of the Revolutionary War,” Senator Jack David Woodrum told RealWV Wednesday afternoon. “It all started right here in Lewisburg, and that’s a fascinating little bit of history.”
Wednesday’s event, Woodrum added, marks West Virginia’s official “kick off” to the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday.
A brief ceremony was held at the Andrew Lewis Spring Monument, which – in addition to Woodrum – was attended by Greenbrier County Commissioners Tammy Tincher, Lowell Rose, and Nick Dailey; Senator Vince Deeds; Secretary of the WV Dept. of Arts, Culture & History Randall Reid-Smith; as well as representatives of the Greenbrier County Historical Society, and the 201st Field Artillery Regiment of the West Virginia Army National Guard.
One of the oldest continually-active units in the United States’ military – and the oldest unit in the West Virginia National Guard – the “First West Virginia” was established in 1735, by Col. Morgan Morgan.
“It’s imperative that we as West Virginians honor our history by acknowledging what came before,” Greenbrier County Commission President Tammy Tincher told RealWV after the ceremony. “Our rich traditions, which are rooted in indigenous culture, are truly what makes the Mountain State the gem of Appalachia.”
The ceremony featured the presentation of a “ceremonial lantern,” and a certificate from both the Governor’s office, and the West Virginia 250th Commission.
