24th Connecticut Militia Commander reenactor Harry Stephens, of Hummelstown, left, inspects the flintlock rifle of Matthew Lyons of Hamlin at the Wyoming Monument for the 240th anniversary and 140th annual commemorative service of the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming in 2018. The beloved annual ceremony won’t be held this year due to, you guessed it, lingering uncertainty about the COVID-19 outbreak.
Times Leader file photo
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WYOMING — For only the second time in its 142-year history, a beloved local tradition will be canceling its observance this summer.
The annual July ceremony marking the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming, held at the Wyoming Monument, has been called off for 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Wyoming Commemorative Association announced Wednesday afternoon.
The only other time it was canceled was in 1972, following the Agnes flood, the association’s Facebook post said.
“Our incredible keynote speaker planned for this year has accepted our invitation for 2021 so we look forward to welcoming you to the Wyoming Monument on Saturday, July 3, 2021 as we celebrate what will be the exact day of the 243rd anniversary of the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming,” the post added.
On July 3, 1778, the fields here ran red with the blood of patriots who were massacred by a combined force of British troops and their Iroquois allies during the Revolutionary War.
Construction on the monument — which marks the gravesite for bones of victims — began in July 1833 but was suspended due to a lack of funds when the monument reached 20 feet. Construction resumed in 1841 when the Ladies Luzerne Monumental Association, which became the Wyoming Monument Association in 1860, raised money to complete the memorial at a cost of $8,000.
The gathering is a tradition that goes back to 1878 — the centennial of the Battle of Wyoming.
On the 100th anniversary of the battle on July 3, 1878, a commemoration service drew more than 50,000 to hear the main speaker for the event, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.
