The Jenkins Harding, corner of Wyoming Ave. and Linden St., West Pittston, will be the site of the first annual First to Fall event on July 2 from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be historical speakers on hand as well as Revolutionary reenactors. Historical tours of the cemetery will be given during the afternoon.
Submitted photo
Two 26” wide high quailty photos will be raffled off to benefit the West Pittston Historical Society during the First to Fall event on July 2. Tickets may be purchased at Company’s Coming/Gypsy Angel Row, Main Street, Pittston or at westpittstonhistory.org using PayPal.
Submitted photo
WEST PITTSTON — The West Pittston Historical Society will present First to Fall, an event honoring the Revolutionary War history before West Pittston was incorporated in 1857 at the Jenkins-Harding Cemetery on Wyoming Avenue.
The event is free to the public from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, with Linden Street closed for the afternoon.
According to Mary Portelli, president of the historical society, this family friendly event will enlighten locals on what transpired leading up the inception of the Jenkins-Harding Cemetery in 1778 with the brutal and savage massacre of brothers Benjamin and Stuckley Harding at the hands of the Indians.
“We will have guided tours of the cemetery that will point out the important graves and talk about the history of the people buried there,” Portelli said. “We are hoping this will be an annual event.”
Portelli added there would be two historical speakers, Clark Switzer and Stephan Killian, Esq. as well a group from the 24th Connecticut Militia Regiment Inc., a recreated unit of the American Revolution, that will reenact a burial ceremony.
In addition, the historical society will be raffling off two framed 26” wide historical West Pittston images, one of the former newsstand off the Firefighters Memorial Bridge and a photo of the DL&W rail station and bridge on Susquehanna Ave.
“These are fantastic photos,” Portelli said. “The newsstand in the photo is gorgeous, it’s style like a Victorian home.”
Raffle tickets can be purchased at Company’s Coming/Gypsy Angel Row, 12 Main St., Pittston, or online at westpittstonhistory.org using PayPal. Raffle tickets are two for $5 or five tickets for $10.
The raffle will be held at the time of the First to Fall event.
