Baldwin County chapters of the National Daughters of the American Revolution held a dedication for a new marker honoring the Patriots of the Revolutionary War at Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort on Friday Sept. 11.

Amy Molyneux, regent of the local Ecor Rouge Chapter of the National Daughters of the American Revolution, said the new marker represents Baldwin County’s role in the American Revolution, noting that a Revolutionary War veteran, Zachariah Godbold, is buried just across the street.

“I think Blakeley was the natural choice to do it because Blakeley has so many different periods of history,” Molyneux said. “We have Civil War history, American Revolutionary War history. This was one of the original settlements in Baldwin County, so to me, this was the perfect place to do it because it’s also centrally located to North Baldwin County (and) South Baldwin County. It’s just a beautiful setting. It’s nature. People can just come and appreciate it.”

Mike Bunn, park director for Blakeley State Park, described how the area has a deep connection to the Revolutionary War period, as it was home to many early settlers during the Revolutionary War period. The park itself is also close to the site of the Battle at The Village, where the British unsuccessfully attempted to recapture a Spanish fortification at “The Village,” an entrenched outpost located on the east side of Mobile Bay.

“It’s really an honor to have this here because this is the one that’s being placed in the county that’s recognizing these Patriots during the 250th anniversary of the nation’s existence and to be recognized as a spot to be the home for that, that’s really special,” Bunn said.

With the dedication ceremony being held on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the lives that have been lost were also remembered, both from that fateful day and the days of those defending America’s freedoms.

“It’s a day where our nation is already looking at its history and recognizing the Patriots that have come before and the sacrifices that have been made,” Bunn said. “It’s all the things that Blakeley wants to be. We want to be a place where people can gather and remember, commemorate and honor, and that’s what we’re all about.”

“It just puts into perspective all the sacrifices that so many have made,” Molyneux said. “People lost lives, they lost their land, their fortunes. They fought for something that they believed in and it’s this great country of the United States of America.”