The Revolutionary War returns to Warwick this Saturday

Plaque honoring 435 area residents who fought in the War for Independence unveiled at Town Hall Warwick - A bronze plaque with the names of 435 Warwick-area citizens who participated in the War for Independence will be formally dedicated on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. in the Town Hall. The plaque is the product of several years’ research undertaken by Warwick Historical Society members Betty Hurd, Gary Randall and Richard Hull as well as Kathy Randall who helped with editing and program development. “We were amazed that so many Warwick families and from so many different walks of life were involved in this great and dangerous struggle for liberty,” Gary Randall said. Hurd, who was instrumental in organizing the students, noted that a large proportion of Warwick residents joined in the colonists’ effort despite the risk of losing their property and livelihoods. Hull added that their research unearthed information that sheds new light on the motivations and organizational dynamics of the revolutionaries. “It was an exciting exercise in seeing the revolution from the grass-roots level, from the bottom up, and it offers new ways of looking at this crucial period in our nation’s evolution,” said Hull, who is a historian at New York University. There already are plaques in Warwick Town Hall honoring veterans of subsequent wars and conflicts but none for the residents whose efforts led to the creation of the American nation. Funding for the plaque included efforts by students from the Warwick High School History Club as well as from other organizations and individuals from throughout the community. Saturday’s ceremony will begin sharply at 10 a.m. with musket fire and color guard followed by brief remarks on the 4th Regiment under John Hathorn, one of Warwick’s founding fathers. Mel Johnson, a curator at Washington’s Headquarters Historic Site in Newburgh and an expert on Orange County’s Revolutionary War militias is the guest speaker. The public is invited; refreshments will be served.