HUNTSVILLE | The new American Revolutionary War Veterans Memorial at John John Yancey Memorial Park here was formally dedicated Saturday morning, on the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
The new memorial, built by Scott County after a grant that was received as part of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration, is part of nationwide observances of the United States’ 250th birthday.
The memorial pays tribute to 15 Revolutionary War veterans who moved to present-day Scott County after the war ended. Among them:
- Joseph Griffith, 1755-1833
- Dennis Trammell, 1759-1849
- Abel Peak, 1757-1852
- James McDonald, 1758-1848
- Joseph McPeters, 1761-1846
- James Chitwood, 1751-1839
- William Chambers, 1750-1840
- Joseph Hatfield, N/A-1832
- David Lawson, 1758-1852
- John Lawson, 1755-1838
- Randolph Lawson, 1752-1848
- Daniel Blevins Jr., 1753-1839
- John Reed, 1762-1838
- Timothy Sexton, 1750-1832
- Abraham Goad, 1740-1816
Previously, a plaque was placed at the old Scott County Courthouse in Huntsville during the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976, which named 12 of those veterans but omitted the names of Goad, Peak, and Randolph Lawson. Their presence in Scott County has been confirmed since that time.
In his remarks at Saturday’s ceremony, Scott County Historical Society President David Jeffers — who also represents Scott County’s 1st District on County Commission and spearheaded the monument project — said it was a 14-month project that represented hundreds of hours of work.
Jeffers thanked the Scott County Board of Education and Scott County Government, which jointly own the park where the memorial is located, along with the Veterans Memorial Committee, which includes Diane Smith, Dwayne Hughett, Bruce Harness, and Ron Keeton. He also thanked Stacey Swann of the Industrial Development Board of Scott County for facilitating th project, and the state for providing the $25,000 grant that funded the project.
Work on the project was completed by several different people, beginning with Tommy and Adrian Phillips, who cleared the trees, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville’s Earthmoving Equipment Operator class that did the excavation work. Dobbs Construction did the concrete work, Keeton’s Monuments provided the monuments, Colton Goad did the landscaping, and K.C. Graphics did the signs.
