Shrine to Lt. Boyd, Sgt Parker - Leicester, NY
Posted by: 
sagefemme
N 42° 46.590 W 077° 51.790
18T E 265776 N 4739972
The plaque, at the Boyd-Parker Park, 3064 Cuylerville Rd Leicester, NY 14481 describes itself as a shrine, but it is more appropriately described as a memorial. These soldiers were part of the Sullivan Expedition against the English-Indian alliance.
Waymark Code: WMEGR9
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 05/28/2012
Views: 6
"This wayside shrine marks the place where on September 14 1779 two young soldiers of the revolution Lieutenant Thomas Boyd and Sergeant Michael Parker met death undaunted in the line of duty. After lingering torture they marked with their blood the western limit in the state of New York of the great struggle for American freedom." (
visit link)
An interpretive sign near the tree where Lt. Boyd was tortured (see (
visit link) ) tells more:
Text of the interpretive sign about thee tree:
"Burr Oak Tree
"A pioneer tradition asserts that Lt. Boyd was tied to and tortured on this Burr Oak tree. His and Sgt. Parker's bodies were buried by their fellow soldiers a few yards away along the creek. This tree was a bicentennial landmark of the Revolutionary War and in 1990 was placed on th NY State registry as one of 11 trees of historic significance.
"In 1841 the remains of Lt. Boyd and Sgt. Parker were removed from this site and taken up the Genesee Valley Canal to Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester for reburial. As a memorial the Leicester rsidents constructed a mound over the spot where the bones were exhumed. This historic ground was nearly forgotten until 1897 when William Pryor Letchworth contacted the Livingston County Historical Society about purchasing the area and erecting a monument.
"The Historical Society was unable to take ownership until 1927 when they transformed the wilderness into a roadside shrine. A county-wide commemoration with historical depictions and the dedication of a memorial heralded the establishment of the Boyd-Parker Park.
"The 150th Anniversary of the Sullivan Campaign was commemorated across New York State in 1929. A historical pageant in Leicester, re-creating the events of 1779 drew 500 spectators. Concurrently, a boulder was unveiled with tablets recognizing the park as a Revolutionary War landmark."
I've seen the marker at Mt. Hope Cemetery, but until visiting this site, did not realize that their remains actually lay in the vicinity of that marker (see pictures, and shortly, that waymark will be posted under veterans of the Revolutionary War).