Volume 6, Number 2 - Winter 1977
Bicentennial Marker Dedicated at Forsyth
by Elmo Ingenthron, Chairman, Historical Sites Committee
The Forsyth American Legion Post No. 592, in cooperation with the White River Valley Historical Society, completed one of the most important Bicentennial projects in the area. In early February, 1975, the Forsyth Post offered to sponsor a large historical marker at the old courthouse site in Forsyth at a cost of nearly $1,000. The major portion of that amount was raised by the Legionnaires through the sale of the recently published history of Taney County, entitled THE LAND OF TANEY. The special edition sold by the Legionnaires contained a printed page of the inscription on the marker written by the society’s historian. All those who purchased a copy of the book from the Legionnaires helped make possible a lasting memorial to the Bicentennial and the history of the area. A few copies of the special edition remain to be sold.
On the morning of Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11th, nearly a hundred Legionnaires and other interested persons assembled at the Shadow Rock Lodge, overlooking the old town site and the marker, for
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the annual Veteran’s Day breakfast. Following the breakfast program the dedicatory ceremonies were held from 10 to 11 a.m.
A good program had been arranged by Commander James Coffee and his assistants. Dr. M. Graham Clark, Past President General of the Sons of the American Revolution, spoke to the group on the historical ties between the School of the Ozarks and the Forsyth community. Much of the history of Forsyth has been preserved in the buildings and museum at The School of the Ozarks. Dr. Earl Jewell, a veteran of World War I and a retired minister of the gospel, spoke to the congregation on the basic principles upon which our nation was founded and the citizenship responsibilities associated with the preservation and perpetuation of those basic values.
Following Dr. Jewell’s address, Edward Johnson, American Legion’s State Adjutant, spoke to those assembled about Americanism and the veteran’s contribution in safe guarding our liberties and institutions. At exactly 11 o’clock, an hour most sacred to all veterans, the bugle sounded and Adjutant Johnson transferred the care and custody of the marker to Mayor Peter Frantzen for its future preservation.
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