Plymouth 250th Committee to Commemorate Black Revolutionary War Veterans at Parting Ways Cemetery
The Plymouth 250th Commemoration Committee invites the public to attend a special observance at the Parting Ways Cemetery and Historic Site on Sunday, Oct. 18.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Plymouth 250th Commemoration Committee will gather at the Parting Ways Cemetery and Historic Site, 287 Plympton Road, for a ceremony highlighting one of Plymouth’s most important historic sites and the vital role of Black soldiers from Plymouth during the American Revolution.
The ceremony will feature local speakers, an honor guard from American Legion Post 40 of Plymouth, Revolutionary War reenactors from the Hingham militia, the reading of a commemorative resolution from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the veterans buried at Parting Ways.
Dr. Robert A. Bellinger, Associate Professor Emeritus of History at Suffolk University, will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Bellinger is a scholar of African American history, African Diasporan studies, and West African history and culture, and was the founder of Suffolk University’s Black Studies Program.
The Plymouth 250th Commemoration Committee encourages residents and visitors to attend the ceremony, learn more about this vital aspect of Plymouth’s Revolutionary history, and join in honoring the Black veterans whose military service and postwar community are an important part of the town’s story.
Because parking at the historic site is limited, attendees are strongly encouraged to carpool. Some parking will be available at the cemetery, with additional parking along Plympton Road. Those parking on Plympton Road are asked to remain on the Plymouth side of the Plymouth-Kingston town line and not to park across the town line in Kingston.
A reception will be held afterward at Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court St., with light refreshments. The original Plymouth County recruiting book from the Revolutionary War, containing the names of the Black soldiers associated with Parting Ways, will be on display there.
The observance is part of the Plymouth 250th Commemoration Committee’s ongoing effort to recognize Plymouth’s people, places, and stories during the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
About Parting Way Ceremony Parting Ways was established in the years surrounding the Revolution by Black veterans who had served in the American cause and who made homes for themselves and their families at this remote crossroads in West Plymouth. The settlement developed into an independent Black community that endured for generations, and today the site stands as an important reminder of the service of Black Revolutionary War veterans and the lives they and their descendants built after the war.
