EASTON, Pa. — Despite blistering heat and humidity, crowds swarmed Downtown Easton on Saturday to celebrate its rich history and pivotal role in the American Revolution on Heritage Day.
Mulling throughout the square were actors in period garb, dressed as colonists, military members, and politicians, with the occasional calls of either “God save the king!” or “No kings!”
It was all part of Easton’s historical festival, honoring the city’s stature as a location of the third public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776.
The Revolution begins
The recreation of the reading of the Declaration of Independence kicked off at the Farmers’ Market, advancing up to Centre Square where the festivities took off with an address from Royal Governor of New Jersey William Franklin, as played by Michael Hollingsworth of the Bachmann Players.
He read a statement issued by King George III amid unrest in the Colonies: “I have acted with an even temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible, the effusion of the blood of my subjects and the calamities which are inseparable from a state of war, still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders and have been convinced that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world."
"So to meld that with the drama of history, I like to think it gives one the opportunity of seeing what it was like when you were there."Christopher Black, who portrayed Robert Levers, reader of the Declaration of Independence in Easton on July 8, 1776.
Following that, a historical citizen of Easton pleaded with the crowd to remember their allegiance to the king.
“Then we might be spared all these difficulties and perhaps allowed to return to the mutual state of peace and prosperity with the mother country that we've had for so many years,” he said.
After a reading of the news, the announcement came: Northampton County Clerk Robert Levers had returned from the provincial conference in Philadelphia bearing a declaration from the Continental Congress.
While waiting for Levers’s arrival, Thomas Payne presented an excerpt from his pamphlet “Common Sense.”
“Let the names of Whig Tory, rebel and loyalist be extinct, and let none other be heard among us than those of a good citizen, an open and resolute friend and a virtuous supporter of the rights of mankind and of the free and independent states of America,” he told to a cheering crowd.
And then the drums came, along with Levers, as portrayed by Bachmann Player Christopher Black, and his parade of supporters, walking from the Bachmann House to Centre Square to read the Declaration of Independence.
With each grievance of King George III listed, the crowd called out in jeers and boos. With each call for action to fight for independence and a free America, cheers and huzzahs were boisterous.
Even a dog or two chimed in for support.
And despite a brief break to allow for a vehicle to make its way through the cluster, Black was able to hold the crowd in awe, concluding the speech with a call for all to join in the declaration.
“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, and now you will repeat after me, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor,” Black called out to the echoes of the crowd.
“May God long preserve and unite the free and independent states of America! Three huzzahs for our new country! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!”
'What it was like'
For those who partake in the recreation, it’s all a matter of appreciating history while also having a bit of fun diving into an interesting role.
Scott Janney, portraying Colonel Peter Kichline, said his wife’s family has history dating back to the 1740s in Williams Township. Around 15 years ago, she purchased him a Colonial outfit, and since then, he has participated in Heritage Day.
“[Kichline] came to Easton, I think it was in 1752, it might be 1753, and he was part of the Flying Camp, a militia, but also they were actually members of the Colonial army," Janney said. "He, from here, led the troops up to Long Island in the Battle of Brooklyn, where they had a 70% casualty rate stopping a British advance, which is how General Washington escaped Long Island to fight another day.”
Bachmann Player Paul Sherrer, hanging around the Easton Farmers’ Market prior to the march, with his fellow re-enactors, said he has always been a fan of Heritage Day.
“I was always interested in reenacting in the Revolutionary War, always came to Heritage Day and stuff like that,” Sherrer said, adding he was glad to have come in linen garb as opposed to wool.
Black previously worked as a professional actor in Manhattan before moving to the Lehigh Valley, where he jumped into a new role.
“I was with a classical theater company for 12 years. I've done hundreds of performances. So to meld that with the drama of history, I like to think it gives one the opportunity of seeing what it was like when you were there,” Black said.
“I'm sure they were passionate about it at the time, and so marrying those two, I think, creates a little bit of that energy now.”
