www.ORWM.org
Oregon American Revolutionary War Memorial
Remember Our Original Heroes
A PHYSICAL MEMORIAL WITH AN INTERACTIVE LIBRARY
As you stand in front of the Oregon Revolutionary War Memorial one is struck by the magnitude of the story scribed on the walls but also that this is only a small amount compared to the interactive library supporting it.
The memorial was first conceived by the Oregon Sons of the American Revolution to remember Patriot ancestors who fought for their freedom, and to educate our children and future generations about the price of that freedom. Also, in the Beaverton Memorial Park the one war not represented was the first American struggle, the American Revolutionary War.
As the design evolved, the concept grew from just another “Memorial Wall” to a living, breathing interactive memorial encompassing Patriotic, Historical, and Educational values.
Now the vision congealed into a two-part memorial. The very visible first part is of course the physical memorial in the park. Comprising of six walls arranged in the shape of the snake on one of the nation’s first flags … Unite or Die. The second part is the living information with the ability to update, change and improve and stored for retrieval by anyone, anywhere at any time.
How then does this work?
Strolling around the physical memorial, etched on the sides of the walls is historical and patriotic images and information.
· Along the bottom of the walls are the names of some Patriots who sacrificed their lives and fortunes in the War and whose ancestors are members of the Oregon Sons of the American Revolution and members of the Oregon Daughters of the American Revolution. Next to the list is a QR code that when you scan it on your mobile device, it takes you to a webpage that has the biographies of those Patriots. It also has links to DAR and SAR databases where you can get more information, and see if maybe you are related to a Patriot.
· Sections of journal pages written by the men who were fighting at Valley Forge, the Hudson River area and Yorktown as an example. The QR codes link to more journals, and to Historical and Genealogical society libraries not only in Oregon, but across the United States.
· A graphic yearly time line from before the war years to 1789 when the Constitution was signed. The information above the time line are the dates of some of the major battles fought, and the information below the time line are major events in the lives of the people that influenced the battles. Scan the QR codes to get to more information and links on the events.
· Images and writings of everyday life of the colonists; clothes, toys, what they ate and what their homes and business looked like. QR codes again take you to more information and links, while you are still standing in front of the memorial in Beaverton.
· Let’s not forget about those Patriots. Life size images carved in the stone of a Minuteman, a Militia and a Continental soldier with descriptions of who they were and how they dressed. Then the flags they fought and died under both on, land, and sea, flying in the breeze adding color and life to the memorial.
What a project! The scope is too large for one group or organization to handle and keep updated for years.
This is a labor of love and commitment by many dedicated individuals, organizations, schools and government agencies. These are the people who are charged with the research, and the digging through the tons of records to gather the data.
Our Partners are the national and state societies and local chapters of the SAR and DAR, American Legion, Historical societies, Genealogical societies, libraries, government agencies, schools and you.
This is a long-term project, funding and building the memorial in the park will take time, and gathering and updating the information will take decades, but together we can all make this happen.
Let’s not forget why so many people and organizations are doing this.
“To construct a living, interactive memorial in Beaverton, Oregon to HONOR our forefathers who served or assisted the colonies during the American Revolutionary War and to EDUCATE our children and the world about the revolution and the price and responsibilities of FREEDOM.”
How to Help Fund the Memorial
