A plaque recognizing those who fought to help win American freedom from England was recently dedicated in their honor inside the Pike County Courthouse by the Pikeville Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolutionary War.
Pikeville DAR Regent Ester Taylor said the DAR, formed in 1925, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As part of ongoing events, a plaque bearing 177 names of Revolutionary War veterans whose linages extend to Pike County even though the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Pike County were not formed until after the war.
“The Pikeville chapter began as a handful of ladies that met at someone’s house for tea,” Taylor said. “We have persevered through the years. We all have some skin in the game when it came to having America and being part of the battle for freedom, so we wanted to dedicate this to our patriots.
“These patriots are not all-inclusive,” she continued. “We have the names of 177 patriots listed on it. That is all we know of at this point, but there are probably more out there. We are always researching our ancestors.”
The plaque is mounted on a wall in the Veterans Hall located inside the Pike County Courthouse on Main Street in Pikeville.
Taylor said the organization originally wanted to do a larger outdoor memorial, perhaps in Veterans Park on Hambley Boulevard; however, the expense of granite or bronze was too prohibitive and the club wanted to be practical with its expenditures.
“I am very happy with its location in Veterans Hall,” Taylor said. “After all, these Revolutionary War soldiers were the first true veterans of the United States.”
Taylor said members of the Pikeville DAR are proud of their chapter and are glad the work that started over tea 100 years ago is still moving forward.
“It hasn’t always been easy,” she said. “In 2008, our chapter was ready to be dissolved because of inactivity and a loss of interest. Without the efforts of Pam Osborne and Carolyn Justice our chapter would not be in existence. They brought the chapter back to life and wanted to establish some type of memorial.”
