Public Events and Commemorations 
for the W3R^®-US during 2010

2010 Jan 27: Boston MA: Lecture on Lafayette Alan R. Hoffman spoke at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society on Lafayette: Symbol of Franco-American Friendship Alan is chair of the W3R®-MA, which is developing a trail to follow the path of Lafayette from Boston MA to Morristown NJ as he brought news to General Washington about the assignment of General Rochambeau to lead a the French Expeditionary Force to the United States in 1780.

2010 Feb 08: Paris, France: Celebration of WRRR-NHT Designation   Under the high patronage of Roland du Luart, Vice President of the French Senate, the French Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the W3R®-France held a gala dinner at the French Senate to celebrate the designation (by the United States Congress) of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route as a National Historic Trail. Presentations: "The French Navy in the American War for Independence", by Admiral Lanxade, former Chief of Staff for the French Armed Forces "Securing National Historic Trail Designation for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route", by General Forray, former Grand Chancellor for the French Legion of Honor     Photos courtesy of Andree King] On display were a copy of the U.S. legislation, maps of the trail, and a brochure on the career of U.S. General Louis Duportail, a French engineering officer who was given leave from his military service in France from 1777 to 1783 so that he could join and aid the Continental Army, in which he was assigned to be Chief Engineer. Andree King (a Director of the W3R®-US) represented the W3R®-US at this event.

2010 Feb 12: Princeton NJ: Regional Planning Work Session   The W3R®-US is hosting three regional planning work sessions with two primary objectives: to identify the purpose and significance of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, fundamental resources and values and planning challenges for state and local organizations and resource sites (parks, museums, etc.) to gain consensus on a strategic direction for the W3R®-US, NPS, and other partners; and to identify priority actions that the partners could work on collectively. The work sessions are led by Joe DiBello, the National Park Service (NPS) Superintendant for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, and Julie Bell, NPS staff consultant on program planning. The sessions are held from 10 AM to 3 PM (with lunch provided). The three regions are (1) NY-NJ-PA, (2) MA-RI-CT, and (3) DE-MD-DC-VA. Results will be presented to participants and to the Annual W3R®-US meeting in April, where they will serve as a foundation for more detailed program planning for 2010-15. There will be a final summary document. The first work session -- for invited participants from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania -- was held in Princeton NJ on February 12.

Half of the participants at Princeton

The other half of the participants at Princeton

Julie and Joe arrange and post the responses.

2010 Feb 25: Rehoboth Beach DE: 2010 Delaware Trail Summit UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT HAD TO BE CANCELLED       DUE TO A MAJOR WINTER STORM The W3R®-DE is a proud cosponsor of the Delaware Trail Summit, which will be held from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM in the Atlantic Sands Hotel, 101 North Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 (302-227-2511). This conference will offer a variety of educational sessions and a keynote speaker, all focusing on matters and issues that affect delivery of trail networks. The Trails Summit provides an opportunity for land planners, trail administrators and managers, trail advocacy groups, trail builders and other trail enthusiasts to network and advocate for trails in their community as well as learn what we have collectively achieved in the past decade, and to learn about new opportunities, issues, trends and techniques. Cost: $25.00

2010 March 12: Warwick RI: Regional Planning Work Session   This was the second work session for participants from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. (See description under Feb 12: Princeton above.) Discussions among participants facilitated joint efforts to develop the trail.

2010 March 21: Philadelphia PA: The Revolutionary River The Revolutionary River is a 47-minute film that presents -- through dramatizations and interviews with experts -- the Schuylkill River region’s fascinating history from Native American times through the American, Industrial and Environmental Revolutions, and as a valuable resource today. The Philadelphia Museum of Art celebrated the film's premiere with a unique meet-the-producer dessert reception at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. The film was produced for public television by Telemark Films, on behalf of the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, in partnership with the William Penn Foundation, the National Park Service, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It is the first in a six-part series, “Our National Heritage,” that will explore six different National Heritage Areas. For more information about the film visit the Schuylkill River Heritage Area website. Newspaper article

2010 March 26: Washington DC: Regional Planning Work Session   This will be the third work session --- for invited participants from Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia --- (see description under Feb 12: Princeton above). Joe DiBello kept the group focused on its task of developing strong themes.

Huzzah!    Huzzah!    Huzzah!

March 30, 2010, was the First Anniversary of the

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

as a National Historic Trail.

Huzzah!    Huzzah!    Huzzah!

2010 April 10-11: Poughkeepsie NY: W3R®-US Annual Meeting   Members gathered at the Hudson River Valley Institute (at Marist College in Poughkeepsie NY) for the Seventh Annual Meeting of the W3R®-US. Throughout the day there were displays from W3R®-US and state groups. The business meeting included state and committee reports, amendments to Bylaws, elections, and awards. Networking: members chatted with one another and with Dr. Selig (at right) The afternoon was devoted to a national workshop for setting priorities on programs for development of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail and a talk by Dr. Robert Selig on "The Path Less Travelled By -- the use of historic maps, documents, and common sense to identify the routes taken by the allied forces in 1781." At the installation dinner 1931 commemorative alliance medallions were given to trail historian Dr. Robert Selig and trail illustrator David R. Wagner for their valuable and extensive contributions to the understanding and appreciation of the U.S.-French alliance and the presence of the French Expeditionary Force in the United States during 1780-1783. The highlight of the evening came when donor Dr. Frank T. Bumpus unveiled a new painting by David R. Wagner showing part of the French army being ferried across the Hudson River at Verplanck's Point. During dessert we viewed portions of the new video The Revolutionary River (see notes under March 21 above). Dr. Frank T. Bumpus and David Wagner unveil the new painting

2010 April 17-18:  Tour of Charleville and Mézières [SAR France] [an activity of the France Society, SAR] #1. The Charleville arsenal manufactured many of the 25,000 muskets and other arms sent to the U.S. in 1776 contributing the success of the campaign against Burgoyne (at Saratoga) in 1777. #2. The Military Engineeers Academy in Mézières trained many of the French Military Engineers who served in the (U.S.) Continental Army during the American Revolution, including --- General Louis Duportail, who was dispatched by the French King to America with three other engineers on January 1777, even before La Fayette (without the King's permission) sailed for the U.S. Duportail designed the fortifications at Valley Forge, created an led the Corps of Engineers for the Continental Army, was a strategic advisor to General Washington, commanded the allied engineering forces at Yorktown, and wrote plans for a future (U.S.) Military Academy which was later organized (at West Point) by his former assistant, Rochefontaine. --- Lt. Col. Francois de Fleury, who served with distinction at Stony Point and at Yorktown. --- and many others.

2010-04-22: W3R®-DE Meeting at the Pencader Heritage Museum   Members of the W3R®-DE met in the Pencader Heritage Area (PHA) Museum, elected a new chair (William Conley) and vice chair (Veronica Eid), reviewed the ten-year history of the W3R®-DE with founding member and outgoing chair Ralph Nelson, and discussed prospective projects for the coming year. William Conley with the W3R®-DE's kiosk, located in the PHA museum

2010-05-12 to 14: San Antonio TX -- Workshop on Cultural and Heritage Tourism: Trails as Destinations, sponsered by the Partnership for the National Trails System.

2010-06-05: National Trail Day National Trails Day® brochure [PDF] On June 5, 2010, American Hiking Society and outdoor enthusiasts across the country celebrated the 18th annual National Trails Day® (NTD), a long-standing celebration of America's magnificent trail system. Events included trail maintenance, hiking, paddling, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, running and trail celebrations. This date marks the 229th anniversary of the start of the march of the French Expeditionary Force and the Rhode Island Continental Regiment from Newport RI to join the main Continental Army encamped near Dobbs Ferry NY.

2010-06-12: Newark DE -- Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony.   This was organized by the Pencader Heritage Museum, which houses a fine collection of Revolutionary War material from Delaware and hosts the only video kiosk for this trail along on the entire route. The museum (with no admission fee) is open on the first and third Saturday of each month. Several Delaware historical groups participated in this year's ceremony, which honored the 196 Delaware servicemen who died in combat since 1960. Former W3R®-US chair Kim Burdick represented the W3R®-DE and read ten of the names. Participation in such events increases public awareness of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. W3R®-DE chair Bill Conley led the planning sessions for the event.

2010-06-18: Cranston RI - The Sixth Annual Rochambeau Strawberry Biscuit Tea   was hosted by the Cranston Historical Society at the Joy Homestead. This celebrates the anniversary (229th this year) of the French army's march through Cranston on the way to join the Continental Army north of New York City (and later on to Yorktown VA). Ron Sullman as a Lt.Col. of the Varnum Regiment -- he looks like General Washington, Tom Worthington as General Rochambeau, and Larry McDonald as a soldier in the French Bourbonnais Regiment. [photo courtesy of Lydia Rapoza] Rhode Island proclaims June 18, 2010, as Rochambeau "March to Victory" Day Whereas, on June 18, 1781, General Rohambeau broke camp at Providence and began his march to Connecticut to eventually join up with General George Washington and defeat the British at Yorktown; and Whereas, it took four days for 6,000 [sic] French troops to march through Rhode Island, passing through Cranston, Scituate, and Coventry; and Whereas, the road that marched on is part of the Joy Homestead property, circa 1774, located on Scuituate Avenue in Cranston; and Whereas, the Cranston Historical Society has been celebrating the date of this march for the past six years with the Rochambeau Strawberry Biscuit Tea, and this year will be joined in celebrating the "March to Victory" by French re-enactors, Le Regiment Bourbonnais, and the Varnum Continentals of East Greenwich; and Whereas, to recognize the Joy Homestead's inclusion as part of the national "Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route"; NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD L. CARCIERI, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM June 18, 2010 as Rochambeau "March to Victory" Day In recognition whereof, I have hereby set my hand and caused the seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to be hereunto affixed this 18th day of June 2010 Cranston RI makes June 18 an annual day of commemoration The City Council of Cranston RI passed the same resolution except for replacing the NOW THEREFORE clause with Now be it Further Resolved, that each June 18th will be remembered as,“Rochambeau March to Victory" Day.

2010-07-03, W3R®-PA member Denise Dennis gave the keynote speech at the commemoration of the 232nd anniversary of the Battle of Wyoming. On July 3, 1778, a large Loyalist force atacked and overwhelmed the garrison of a small fort at Wyoming PA. Over 200 defenders and residents in the fort were massacred and burned, including Gershom Prince. Gershom Prince was one of the many free blacks who served on the patriot side during the American Revolution. Even before the Revolution he had fought in the French and Indian War, and he carried a powder horn inscribed with his name, Crown Point (NY) and 1761. He served as a private at the Wyoming PA fort. Denise Dennis is an author and journalist and head of the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, which maintains the farm (in Wyoming) on which her free black ancestors settled in 1793. She is a direct descendant of Prince Perkins, who was the uncle of Gershom Prince. See the on-line report in the Times Leader at www.timesleader.com/news/Stored-up_history_06-30-2010.html

2010-07-04: Mrs. Charles G.L. de Barcza, chairman of the Board of the W3R®-US, gave the keynote presentation to the Washington Campground Association on The March to Achieve Independence; History of Establishing the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. Read the text of this speech [PDF].

2010-07-04: New Castle DE - The W3R®-DE participated in the national  Let Freedom Ring ceremony in honor of the U.S. and French courage and sacrifices that made the Declaration of Independence a success and permitted the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States. As each of the original thirteen colony's names was read, a youth pulled the bell-rope to toll a large bell. The Major Robert Kirkwood Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution provided a color guard dressed in frontiersman uniforms. [photos by Kim Burdick, W3R®-DE]

2010-08-01: Dobbs Ferry NY --  Fifth Annual Road To Freedom Walk celebrated the day that the main elements of the Continental Army under General Washington began their march to Yorktown Virginia from Dobbs Ferry on August 19, 1781. The master of ceremonies was W3R®-US member Dr. Richard Borkow. Members of Lamb's Artillery demonstrated the usage of a period cannon for the spectators. See the Illustrated report in Hastings.Patch.com (54 photos) Following the allied footsteps along the Hudson River Very young, very raw recruits display their parade ground skills [photos courtesy of Richard Borkow]

2010-08??: Route 14 RI/CT --  During the summer the highway departments of Rhode Island and Connecticut erected signage at the border between RI and CT to mark the point where in June 1781 General Rochambeau's French army column left Rhode Island on its way to join General Washington's Continental Army, camped north of New York City, which was fortified and occupied by Great Britain. The French now entered the state of Connecticut, whose governor, Jonathan Trumbull, was the only royal colonial governor to support the cause of liberty and independence. He served as governor from 1769 to 1784.

2010-09-04: Marcus Hook PA - Second Annual Celebration and Ice Cream Social of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail   After a tour of the Plank House (circa 1720 - built from ship planks) and a brief remarks by W3R®-US Chairman Sallie deBarcza, General Washington (portrayed by Carl Closs) and the color guard of the Philadelphia Continental Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution marched to St. Martin's cemetery. There they honored the graves of local Revolutionary War patriots. They then marched to the Community Center, where Gen. Washington spoke about his visit to Marcus Hook in September 1781, when six thousand troops of the allied Continental and French armies marched through that hamlet on the way to the siege and victory in Yorktown VA. Afterwards all participants made new friends while enjoying ice cream.

2010-09-10: Deadline for the National Park Service' 11th Annual National Historic Landmark Photo Contest. Some landmarks of our trail are Boston Naval Shipyard (MA) Old State House (Newport RI) Samuel Huntington Birthplace (Scotland CT) Philipsburg Manor (Upper Mills, Westchester County NY) Old Barracks (Trenton NJ) Carpenters' Hall (Philadelphia PA) Jacob Broom House (Montchanin DE) Colonial Historic District Annapolis (MD) Lafayette Square Historic District (Washington DC) Mount Vernon (VA) List of National Historic Landmarks

Historic Land Exchange for an American Revolution Museum On September 10, 2010, at a ceremony attended by over 200 cultural, educational, and civic leaders, the American Revolution Center (ARC) completed a land exchange of 78 acres of land it owned in Valley Forge for a National Park Service site at 3rd and Chestnut Streets in historic Philadelphia, located just steps from Independence Hall, the First Bank of the United States and Carpenter's Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. There the ARC will build a museum to house its distinguished collection of objects, artifacts, and manuscripts and to tell the entire story of the American Revolution. Left to right: American Revolution Center Chairman H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, witnesed by General George Washington [Photo courtesy of the American Revolution Center, www.AmericanRevolutionCenter.org]

Connecticut Prints 25,000 More Trail Maps 2010-09: The state of Connecticut has printed a third edition of its 24-panel brochure showing the main tourism route for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route through Connecticut. The brochure also describes the historic arch and historic tourism attractions along the route. The total number of these brochures is now 75,000. The W3R®-CT and its affiliates initiated the concept and helped with the development of new editions.

2010-09-11: Pencader DE - Honoring Germanic soldiers of the Revolution   The Pencader Heritage Area Association and the Delaware Saengerbund (a German-American club) co-hosted this event at the historic marker site on the Cooch's Bridge Revolutionary War Battlefield outside the Pencader Museum at 2029 Sunset Lake Road -- off of Delaware Route 72, south of Old Baltimore Pike. Elmar Kohlhofer -- the German Embassy's Cultural Affairs Ministry Attache -- was greeted by W3R®-US Board members Kim Burdick, Veronica Eid, and W3R®-DE Chair William Conley prior to the dedication of a marker honoring Germanic soldiers who fought on both sides of the U.S. struggle for liberty and independence. About twenty Hessians died at the battle of Cooch's Bridge. Relevance to the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route: The French Expeditionary Force (FEF) in the U.S. in 1780-83 included the Royal Deux Ponts Regiment, comprised of soldiers of Germanic heritage recruited near Deux Ponts, France (now Zweibrucken, Germany). In September 1781 the 4,000-man FEF marched down Old Baltimore Pike (past the site of the present-day museum) on its way to the siege and victory in Yorktown VA.

2010 Reunion of the 2006 Marchers: Mike Fitzgerald,
Rose Morin, David Fagerberg,and David Holloway

2010-09-13: WETA-TV Documentary on Lafayette  Lafayette: The Lost Hero premiered nationally on PBS stations. The narrator of the preview "trailer" says "History has an imperfect memory . . . France and America have always had a strange, love-hate relationship . . . Neither side likes to admit it, but each defines itself -- at least partly -- by the other. . . . Maybe the Marquis de Lafayette, this figure from the distant past, a foreigner, a Frenchman, can tell us something important about ourselves and help us remember a time when America emerged as the symbol of freedom in the world. Following his trail into the past, we might even understand more about where we're headed now." Part adventure, part romance, part historical journey, the documentary chronicles the life and legend of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette — an intriguing, neglected, and controversial figure from both the American and French Revolutions. "Lafayette’s life and quest to bring democracy and liberty to America and France is shared in the film, in part, as recorded in the extensive letters and memoirs of Lafayette; his wife, Adrienne de Noailles; and his close friend, George Washington. And his journeys through America — both in combat and post-war victory — are detailed with an engaging narrative. The end result is a biographical film that is both richly entertaining and informative, with lush dramatizations, evocative footage and animations that give cultural background as well as insights on his life’s meaning to us today." from a promotional note by Kate Kelly, National Publicity Manager, WETA, who can provide copies of the documentary on DVD. Contact her at kkelly@weta.org Visit the Facebook Page for Lafayette: The Lost Hero NOTE: W3R®-FR member Jacqus de Trentinian appears in several interviews in this documentary.

Saturday, September 18   at 1:30 PM at Ridge Road County Park, Hartsdale, NY 10530 The Annual Rochambeau Ramble provided a pleasant half-mile historical walk down a wooded trail to the historic Odell House property in Greenburgh NY. This home served as headquarters for French General Rochambeau for six weeks in 1781 while George Washington and his Continental Army camped less than a mile away. After a tour of the grounds, Robert J.Stackpole, president of the New York City Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, spoke about how the route the French and American armies took from here to the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia was recently designated part of a National Historic Trail (to be administered by the National Park Service). Revolutionary War reenactors from the Ardsley Middle School Living History Program participated in the activities.

Saturday, October 16 at Gloucester VA W3R®-US: Fall Board Meeting   The Board of Directors of the W3R®-US met on October 16 at 10:00 AM at the St. James Anglican Church at Abingdon Glebe, 6124 Abingdon Glebe Lane, Gloucester, Virginia 23061. W3R®-US chair Sallie de Barcza presided Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Superintendant Joe DiBello reported on his activities We tasted wine created for the 200th anniversary of Rochambeau's death 10:30 – Board Meeting 1:30 - Presentation by Glenn Williams (W3R®-MD)        The Siege of Yorktown: the Decisive Engagement        of the American War for Independence 2:30 to 3:30 - Committee Meetings

Sunday, October 17 at 11:15 AM at the NPS Visitor's Center in Yorktown VA. Alan Hoffman (W3R®-MA chair) spoke on Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: Odyssey of an American Idol The author also sold and autographed copies of his book, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Journal of a Voyage to the United States W3R®-US chair Sallie de Barcza with Gen. Lafayette (Mark Schneider) Sunday, October 17 at 4:00 PM in the Board Room, Second Floor of York Hall, 301 Main Street, Yorktown, Virginia 23690. The York County Historical Committee hosted a free, public lecture by renowned historian, scholar, consultant, editor and writer, Dr. Robert A. Selig, on The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route in York County - or - How to Identify, Find and Interpret an Eighteenth-Century Road.” For most people, York County in the American War of Independence means the Siege of Yorktown. But in order to get to the siege lines, thousands of American and French forces had to march and sail hundreds of miles from New England to Virginia. Many of the roads they took still exist, sometimes even as dirt roads, little changed from the way they were more than two centuries ago. Focusing primarily on York County, Dr. Selig will explain his methodology and give examples of how he conducted his research for the Virginia section of the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, now a National Historic Trail.

2010-10-19: Yorktown VA - Yorktown Day - 229th Anniversary The Yorktown Day festivities are many and varied. There are typically dinners on the 18th, and a parade, special open houses, and ceremonies on the 19th. Cruises aboard several colonial-era replica ships are available before, during , and after the 19th. There are also many historic tourism activities and sites to visit in nearby Williamsburg VA and Jamestown VA.

2010-10-23 (Saturday) at Fort DuPont DE:  The W3R®-DE participated in the Second Annual Military Heritage Weekend at Fort DuPont, Delaware. This weekend event is sponsored by the Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation. About 25 Delaware history-related organizations set up tables and kiosks to inform and entertain the Delaware public. The W3R®-DE strengthened its ties with the Delaware historical community and shared its mission with over 1,000 visitors. Kim Burdick (2007-2009 chair of the W3R®-US) overseeing the W3R®-DE booth

2010-11-13 (Saturday) at 11 AM in Lorton VA.  at Mason Neck West Park, located at 10418 Old Colchester Road. The Fairfax County Park Authority held a public dedication of a four-panel interpretive display commemorating the the allied U.S.- French armies’ passage through Fairfax County and their encampment at Colchester VA. Graphics and artwork for the panels were prepared by LyonsShare Studios LLC. See the invitation [PDF] and this photo-report by lorton.patch.com [The W3R®-US editor regrets to report that several photos of this event were lost in a computer crash.]

2010-11-14 to 17: Chattanooga TN -- For details of the 20th American Trails National Symposium see their website This symposium is organized every two years.