Brigadier-General William Thompson
In Carlisle’s Old Graveyard at the corner of East South and South Bedford Streets is located an eight foot Celtic cross commemorating the burial place of Brigadier-General William Thompson.
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was founded in 1889. One of the first meetings of the SAR took place in the historic Long Room of Fraunces Tavern in New York City. This was the same room in which General George Washington met his army and gave his farewell speech in December 3, 1783.1 Membership in the Society is based on a man providing proof of direct descent from a person who served in the military or civil capacity during the War of Independence from Great Britain. The objectives of the Society are: to perpetuate the memory of patriots during the American Revolution; to promote fellowship among descendants; to inspire community respect for the American Constitution; to encourage historical research involving the American Revolution and preserve documents, relics, and landmarks of the period; to foster patriotism; and to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom.2 At the chapter level the SAR maintains an aggressive program of providing scholarship and educational awards to students for historical research and patriotic endeavors. The Eagle Scout Scholarship program has been successful and has had many participants.3
The national headquarters had been located on 16th Street, Washington, D.C. (embassy row) until 1988 when the organization moved to Louisville, Kentucky. The Society maintains an extensive genealogical library containing more than 58,000 items. In 2010 the library moved to the present location, the Historic Museum District of Louisville.4
Cumberland County had its first chapter of the SAR established January 22, 1992. The chapter was titled Washingtonburg in honor of the Carlisle Barracks.5 Near the close of the War of Independence the small base north of Carlisle was called Washingtonburg in honor of the commander of the American armies General George Washington. The chapter’s first president and founder was John C. Fralish, Jr, a noted local historian. Prior to the founding of the Washingtonburg Chapter men of Cumberland County had the option of joining two near-by chapters: Conococheague (Franklin County) and Harris Ferry (Dauphin County).
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References (Sources Available at CCHS in bold)
[1] John G.R. Rountree, The Hereditary Register of the United States of America 1972, (Washington: United States Hereditary Register, Inc., 1972), p.89.
[2] Ibid., p.137.
[3] Pennsylvania Minuteman, (Monongahela, PA: The Pennsylvania Society, SAR, Spring, 1990) p. 4.
[4] The SAR Magazine (Louisville, KY: The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Winter, 2014), p. 8.
[5] Pennsylvania Minuteman, (Monongahela, PA: The Pennsylvania Society, SAR, Spring, 1992) p. 3.