Lantern presentation recognizing the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant stops in Beckley

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A crowd gathered at the Raleigh County Courthouse in Beckley on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, for the presentation of a lantern which holds its place in the state’s history.

Randall Reid-Smith, cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, said the event on the courthouse lawn commemorated the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant and that a convoy would take the lantern along the Virginia Militia’s 170-mile march from Lewisburg to Point Pleasant.

“We started at Lewisburg this morning, and we are going along what we call the Colonial Trail of Colonel Andrew Lewis, who fought and won the Battle of Point Pleasant. Many good historians will tell you is the first battle of the American Revolution,” Secretary Reid-Smith explained.

He said Beckley and Fayetteville were just two of the cities where the lantern would be presented.

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