Saturday, Aug. 5 has been designated Colonel Crowther Day in Tyrone with Colonel Crowther weekend continuing in town on Aug. 6.
The weekend has been set aside to honor Colonel James E. Crowther who served and died in The Civil War. Events are planned throughout downtown Tyrone to commemorate one of Tyrone’s original citizens. Before his service in the war, Col. Crowther was a businessman in Tyrone and was the second person ever to serve in the position of Tyrone Burgess (the equivalent of today’s mayor).
The executive director of The Colonel Crowther Foundation, Dr. Robert R. Hileman, Jr., has written two books about Crowther and has an extensive background in Civil War knowledge.
Dr. Hileman said, “The Crowther family and Colonel Crowther has been lost in Tyrone history.”
Hileman said the day is being held to highlight “the kind of man he was.” Hileman noted, at age 42 at the start of the Civil War, Crowther “could have sat out the war.”
Dr. Hileman said Colonel Crowther Day is designed to highlight the “dedication” he had to his men and his community.
“We hope by doing that we will spark some pride of people in Tyrone,” said Dr. Hileman. “We hope to rekindle some of the aspects of life during that time. It’s a great heritage that shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Several reenactment units will participate in an encampment at Railroad Park. The encampment will reflect Camp Crossman, a Civil War era camp located about three miles from Huntingdon. Colonel Crowther and his men were at Camp Crossman in preparation for Civil War battles. Colonel Crowther was killed in action at Chancellorsville, VA on May 3, 1863. His death came less than two months after he received his commission as a colonel. He is buried at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery in Virginia and is the senior Union officer buried there.
The two-day event will also feature living history and military demonstrations. There will be a reception for the Crowther family and invited guests on Saturday. One of Col. Crowther’s descendants, a great granddaughter who resides in Hollidaysburg, is expected to attend the event. Crowther’s other surviving great granddaughter lives in North Carolina.
A book signing, a Saturday evening public dinner, a concert and other programs will mark the first day of the event. The Railroad Park encampment will continue on Sunday, Aug. 6. There will also be music on Sunday morning outside the First Presbyterian Church, a memorial service at the church and another reception for the Crowther family. A wreath laying will take place on Sunday afternoon at Grandview Cemetery followed by a luncheon for reenactors. Living history and military demonstrations are scheduled to continue at Railroad Park after the luncheon until the end of the day’s events. There will also be another book signing on Sunday afternoon at the Tyrone History Museum.
The Colonel Crowther Foundation is a nonprofit, non-stock Pennsylvania corporation, incorporated in November 2005. Donations are welcome. The organization has set up a Foundation Friends Regiment with different levels of contributions from an honorary rank of colonel for $500 to an honorary rank of private for the $25 level.
The Colonel Crowther Weekend’s events are free to the public except for the Saturday night dinner at the Wesley United Methodist Church Hall. The ticket is through a $20 donation and includes a presentation entitled “The Colonel from Tyrone”. The presentation can be attended without attending the dinner for a $5 donation. Tickets for the event are available through the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tyrone Area Historical Society.
More information about the Colonel Crowther Foundation and a complete schedule of the weekend’s events can be found on the Colonel Crowther Foundation web site at www.colonelcrowther.org.
Look for a special column in The Daily Herald every other Saturday this summer written by the executive director of The Colonel Crowther Foundation, Dr. Robert R. Hileman, Jr.
