Another Patriots Day 2022

 

    This last Monday was the 247th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, and Menotomy which ushered in the Revolutionary War in 1775.  Here in Maine and Massachusetts, along with a handful of other states, the third Monday of April is celebrated as Patriots' Day.

    In 1894, Massachusetts Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge created Patriots' Day.  This date replaced what was then referred to as Fast Day in Massachusetts.  Maine, having separated from Massachusetts in 1820, eventually adopted the holiday in 1907.

    Maine's celebration of the holiday is low key compared to Masachusetts with re-enactments of the battles and the Boston Marathon.  This year, men and women gathered on some of the states bridges to wave the American Flag.  Here are a few pictures from the Joshua Chamberland Bridge in Bangor and pictures from Wiscassett.

    Reflecting on the events of these last several months with the on-going war in Ukraine, I found it particularily poignant, that so many of the men (and women) are ordinary citizens, not professional soldiers fighting for their freedom, not unlike the militia of our own Revolution who were farmers and fishermen.

    As has been our custom since the recovery of the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, we placed flags in honor of the Patriots of long ago interred here.  Access to the cemetery is a little challenging because of the work being done at the school and requires walking along the pathway adjacent to the children's playground. 

    The area is fenced in because of the construction.  It's exciting to see the progress and the structure taking form.  This photo was taken inside the cemetery.

    For those who wish to visit the cemetery this spring, you will also notice that the wooded area adjacent to the soccer field entrance has been cleared and a new development is proposed for the future.  I will be interested to see what, if any impact this will have for accessibility to the cemetery.

    For now, the walking path from Sherwood Street is blocked off.  I am waiting to get further information abut the project and the potential impact on the burial ground.

    It has been a while since our informal Friends group and the Girl Scouts have been able to hold our annual Spring cleanup day, but I am hoping that at least a few hardy souls might join together, rakes in hand in the week or so before Memorial Day.  Look for updates soon.

    Here are a few more photos from Patriots' Day 2022.

                                         A Veteran honors brother Veterans

    We pay particular homage to the memory of our four Revolutionary War Veterans, Lieut. Crispus Graves, Prvts. Simon Davis, Joseph Lunt and John Sawyer during this Patriots' Day 2022.