It is those African American G.A.R. veterans, plus others interred elsewhere, who have caught the attention of the Delaware County Historical Society.
Society president Marianne D. Squyres said her organization was starting a two-year project to locate and identify African American soldiers who served in the War Between the States and were buried in Delaware County.
The project hopes to enlist the help of local organizations and residents in gathering the necessary data. The effort will culminate in a special program honoring those soldiers in February 1999.
``What will make this project unique is the public involvement,'' Squyres said. ``Many of the burial sites are unknown, overgrown, or known only to older county residents through oral history. We need a lot of community input.''
Squyres said the project would bring long-overdue attention to a group of veterans whose dedication and sacrifice had been lost in time. It would also establish a foundation of basic knowledge upon which a more complete understanding of the role of African Americans in Delaware County history could be built.
``We hope the project will bring together persons who recognize the importance of such an effort, and will wish to continue working together after it is completed,'' she added. Those interested in volunteering are asked to contact historical society board member Nathaniel C. Nichols.
Nichols, dean of students at the Widener University School of Law, said volunteers were needed to visit burial sites, fill out National Archives order forms to obtain veterans' records, conduct taped interviews of people with information about Civil War veterans, research newspaper obituaries, set up a database, and plan the culminating program, which will include a published report.
Under Squyres' leadership, the historical society has been seeking ways to make history more accessible and meaningful to county residents. One such effort has been the current Houston Lecture Series on the history of transportation in Delaware County.
Although Squyres acknowledged the society's major role as the repository for archival materials, she said it must also find ways to share what it has with citizens.
``History is too important to wait for the public to make casual inquiries or treat it as mere entertainment,'' she said. ``As the county's preeminent historical society, we have a responsibility to build on our previous level of activity.''
FOR MORE INFORMATION * Nathaniel Nichols can be reached at 610-565-0340.
