April 27, 1919: Colonel Thomas Leidy Rhoads Requests Special Recognition for Boyertown's Patriotism

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

April 27, 1919: Colonel Thomas Leidy Rhoads wants his native Boyertown, that has always been a thoroughly patriotic town whose people have participated in all of the nation’s wars from the War for Independence to the Great War (World War I), to be awarded two captured enemy guns, preferably 77’s, as war souvenirs for municipal decoration and instructional purposes.

Rhoads, the Chief Surgeon of the United States Army, has petitioned his Commanding General for this modest request “as a fitting opportunity for the United States to pay tribute in small measure to the town’s unceasing patriotic effort, and its particularly enviable record during the recent Great War.”

Boyertown, with a population of about 3500, had more of its sons and daughters serving in the War for Liberty than any other town of its size in the country. He added that a considerable number of them were volunteers, not draftees, who had wanted to serve their country in time of emergency. He wrote, “Boyertown has no public buildings or other evidence of Federal recognition of its service in the State. This would be a fitting expression of the United States’ appreciation of Boyertown’s patriotism.”

More News from Boyertown

• Mind Mapping Your Muse: Visual Tools for Creative Thought Finding opportunities to be creative is healthy for all ages.
• Craig Bennett Cautions: Learning from History Is Not Erasing It Removing statues that honor heroes of the Confederacy serves as a caution and warning that our nation's shame could, and did, happen.