Cutchogue marks 250th anniversary of Lexington and Concord, as America's earliest soldiers are remembered

Muskets fired and Betsy Ross flags billowed among rows of headstones at the Old Burying Ground in Cutchogue Saturday to commemorate ten of America's earliest veterans who are buried there.

They were farmers and joiners, fathers and sons, each remembered as American patriots who defied British rule and helped a fledgling nation gain independence.

"They risked everything," said Bryan Irrgang, president of the Long Island chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. "They stood up for the founding principles that still guide our country today."

The nonprofit unveiled a roadside plaque to honor the ten patriots: Major Joshua Benjamin, Jonathan Horton, Capt. Daniel Osborn, his son Daniel Osborn, Gershom Terry, Jonathan Terry, James Webb, John Wells, Phineas Wells and Timothy Wells.

Saturday's ceremony coincided with the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution with the battles at Lexington and Concord and kicked off what local historians hope will be many events to mark the semiquincentennial of America next year.

"The 'shot heard round the world' united 13 colonies against a country who treated their Colonial subjects poorly," said Rich Rossin, a registrar with the Sons of the American Revolution.

Rossin led the research effort into the ten patriots, learning that two served in the Suffolk County militia and likely fought in the Battle of Long Island in August 1776.

Others swore allegiance to the patriots, signing articles of association that signaled disapproval of British rule.

"What that basically meant is they would avoid interacting with British authorities as much as possible, limit or avoid commerce with them," Irrgang said. "That's actually considered an act of defiance, supporting the cause of the revolution."

Political unrest spread on the North Fork as residents split allegiances as loyalists or patriots, and the British occupied Southold from 1776 to 1780, mostly in a 200-acre encampment in Mattituck, according to a historical account written by Southold Town historian Amy Folk.

Many residents were forced into signing a document swearing loyalty to the British crown.

The Old Burying Ground was purchased from Corchaug Native Americans by Southold settler William Wells in 1661, according to Mark MacNish, executive director at the The Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council and Museums, which owns and maintains the plot on Main Road.

MacNish described the site as "sacred," and said the council's preservation work includes a recent condition survey of the headstones, routine cleaning and repairs.

"Many of our war veterans' stones are not in good shape," he said Saturday.

Some of the weathered stones are crooked, covered in lichen and fading in legibility. MacNish said the council is applying for $10,000 in grant funding from the Gardiner Foundation to restore the stones.  

Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski read each name aloud as a Revolutionary War soldier reenactor fired off a musket salute.

Krupski said the event helps humanize history, and reminds us what revolutionaries risked by defying British rule.

"This is such an important moment in our country's history," Krupski said. "You think about the families who lived here at the time, the turmoil in the community. It's important that we as a nation remember our roots."