“Meet the Patriots” at Granville’s Old Colony Burying Ground on July 3rd

Granville’s Old Colony Burying Ground boasts the gravesites of 23 veterans of the American Revolution — probably the third-largest number of all graveyards in Ohio. On July 3rd from 2:00 to 4:30 P.M., visitors to the Old Colony will be able to “meet the Patriots”; as members of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), dressed in period military uniform, bring the veterans to life at their headstones in the historic graveyard.

Portraying 11 of Granville’s Revolutionary soldiers, the SAR members will narrate the veterans’ wartime experiences. Five of them will be accompanied by their “wives,” played by members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and dressed in
period-appropriate costumes. Activities and patriotic souvenirs are planned for kids, along with the opportunity to be photographed with George Washington!

Visitors are invited to enter the Old Colony from either the northwest gate on South Main Street, or from the South Prospect Street steps on the west edge of the graveyard. Enter at any time; there will be no waiting lines. Hosts will greet guests and get them started on visits with the Patriots. Veteran re-enactors will be stationed at their headstones all over the yard, and visitors may begin a tour with any of them and
complete the circuit from there. Tour maps of all the veteran headstones will be available.

The re-enactors will include members of three Ohio chapters of the SAR: Hocking Valley Chapter, Camp Charlotte Chapter, and the Ben Franklin Chapter. Three chapters of the DAR will also participate, including the Newark Hetuck Chapter, the Elizabeth Sherman Reese Chapter, and the Pickaway Plains Chapter.

In case of rain, the event will be held on Monday, July 5.

Do you want to visit the honored soldiers’ graves sooner than July 3rd? Starting on Memorial Day weekend, all the Revolutionary patriots’ Old Colony headstones will be decorated with red, white, and blue bows, with laminated tags identifying each veteran. The decorations will remain on the headstones through the July 4th holiday. Self-guided Tour maps of the sites will be available in the flyer mailbox just inside the north entry- gate on S. Main Street.