The Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society (NNVHS) and Cople Episcopal Parish will hold their annual commemoration of independence at two historic sites on Tuesday, July 4. This two-part event is open to the public.
The observance will begin at 8:15 a.m., with a salute at Burnt House Field, the location of a Lee family cemetery and the grave sites of Declaration of Independence signer Richard Henry Lee, his parents and grandparents. Burnt House Field is off Mount Pleasant Road near Hague. The brick-walled cemetery is about a mile down this dirt road, off Coles Point Road.
At 9 a.m., a patriotic service will be held at Yeocomico Episcopal Church, 1233 Old Yeocomico Road, Hague. Built in 1706, Yeocomico Church is the home church of the Lee family where Thomas Lee and son Richard Henry Lee served on the vestry. The service will include Independence Day prayers and the singing of national hymns and the national anthem.
“The Independence Day Commemoration has been hosted by the Society and the Parish since 2007,” said Steve Walker, Cople Parish historian and past president of the NNVHS.
“We originally had a few dozen attendees, but we have had about 100 guests attend the commemoration, each year, over the past five years. It is a superb way to celebrate Independence Day with a combination of quiet reflection and joyous singing,” said Walker.