Wisconsin Society Sons of the American Revolution

Wisconsin Society Sons of the American Revolution

Patriot Plaque

"The American Revolution was brought about by many men and women working together in a common cause. History remembers the great and the near great, the Washingtons, the Franklins and the Jeffersons. History also records the stories of those who are made to play the villains, the Hutchinsons, the Arnolds, the Butlers; what history does not often reveal are the stories of the ordinary people who brought, by hard labor and great personal sacrifice, this nation into being. The real hero of the American Revolution is the common soldier; had he not been convinced of the rightness of the cause for which his leaders asked him to fight, the Revolution would never have succeeded."

R. G. Carroon

As a project during the American Bicentennial, Robert G. Carroon (who was a staff member of the Milwaukee County Historical Society) did the heavy lifting on the initial effort of searching for evidence of Revolutionary War Veterans buried in Wisconsin. His work appeared in a monthly publication of the Society. Additional documents, including an ubiquitous map listing burial sites of many individuals later proved false, have surfaced with other names claimed as veterans buried in Wisconsin. Members of WISSAR, with help of others such as members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and veteran service office staff, set about verifying/debunking the mass of data.

The goal of the Wisconsin Society Graves Project has been to identify, verify and locate grave sites of American Revolutionary Patriots buried in Wisconsin and convert the findings to the production of a two-foot by three-foot enduring bronze casting. The casting includes the name of these veterans, the unit they served in, and location of the grave sites when known. It also leaves room for five additional names should any be certified as Revolutionary Veterans and buried in Wisconsin. When the casting arrived, WISSAR Members Harold Klubertanz (left) and David Dean (right) posed for initial photos.

This plaque was installed in the Wisconsin Memorial Park, Milwaukee, on Patriots' Day following a special ceremony on April 19, 2003. Special guests, Revolutionary War Reinactors, the WISSAR Color Guard, and many friends joined WISSAR for this special event, which was open to the public.

April 19 is officially designated as Patriots' Day in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Legislature. Click Here for information on Legislative Action

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