The local commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution continues to build, with a Boston Tea Party coming this December.
Along with her activity with “Shine On Chillicothe,” Terressa Reep is also a member of the Nathaniel Massie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution – who are staging a replica of one of the ships where locals can toss tea overboard.
She says DAR volunteers have built a 14 foot replica of the Dartmouth, with a 10 foot mast, in Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian Church – complete with a wharf and gaslights.
It will be open for 35- to 40-minute guided tours December 7-8 and 11-15. Those will end with getting on board and tossing boxes of tea. It’s free, but you must make a reservation. Reep says adults as well a school groups are welcome, but the DAR already has three full days booked for schools, so act soon.
You can contact the DAR through their public Facebook page, or directly through Reep at reepterressa@yahoo.com or 740 / 253-1067.
A few locals will travel to Boston to participate in the re-enactment there December 16th, including Drew Musser of the Willis-James Bed & Breakfast. Nathaniel Willis participated in the original event as a teenager, and later emigrated to Ohio and began the house that is now the B&B…before settling in the Bainbridge area, where his gravestone was the center of a ceremony in May.
Reep also says a local group is working to get various places in Ross County to be designated as “America 250 Communities.” In addition, “250 Years Ago…The Boston Tea Party” is the new case display at the Chillicothe-Ross County Public Library, in the adult reading room on the second floor.
And she says there are 304 Revolutionary War veterans buried in Ross County, and 145 of their grave markers have been cleaned. The goal is to locate all by July 4th, 2026.
Learn much more in the below video interview in the article on the Scioto Post.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.
1 of 2 Terressa Reep chats about the local Boston Tea Party 250th anniversary event and more with Kevin Coleman on November 3rd, 2023.
2 of 2 The display case, from the DAR Facebook page.