Phillips Rangers' Massacre Remembrance Ceremony

On Saturday, July 17, a Remembrance Ceremony was held in Liberty Township (Bedford County) to honor the memory of the Phillips Rangers’ Massacre that took place on July 16, 1780. It was sponsored by the Frontier Patriots Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) in conjunction with the Bedford County Sestercentennial Celebrations Committee.

More than 100 guests attended the ceremony that honored the lives of the 10 men massacred by Seneca warriors and the two men taken captive by soldiers led by British Lieutenant John Dochstedder in 1780.

Unlike a traditional dedication ceremony, during the event on Saturday, in addition to speeches of an historical nature, short biographical sketches of all of the individuals who lost their lives in the massacre were read. The fact that Captain William Phillips and his son Elijah would have suffered by being taken into captivity in Canada was also read. At the start of each biography, when the individual’s name was stated, Frontier Patriots Chapter member William Roy Mock rang a bell.

The remembrance ceremony was organized and officiated by Larry D. Smith, current president and historian of the Frontier Patriots Chapter, SAR. The Frontier Patriots Chapter serves the Blair, Bedford and Huntingdon Counties region. The ceremony had been planned to take place last year, the 240th Anniversary of the massacre, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be postponed. Rescheduling the ceremony to this year, when Bedford County is celebrating its 250th Anniversary, was appropriate since the massacre was a major event in the county’s history.

The ceremony was held in the Safe Harbor House of Healing Church due to a forecast of heavy rain.

The church stands on the possible site of the cabin of the Frederick Heater family, in which Captain Phillips’ Rangers spent the night before the battle.

Speeches regarding the history of the massacre and its effect on the history and heritage of the county were mingled with music performed by the Tussey Mountain Women’s Select Choir. The trio consisted of Tiah Masod and Ruthie Fields under the direction of and accompanied by Tussey Mountain High School music teacher, Sarah Johnson. Their rendition of America The Beautiful motivated the audience to stand in patriotic reverence and their closing performance of Nearer My God To Thee was “hauntingly beautiful.” Guests of the ceremony were also welcomed by W. Matt Evans playing the bagpipes.

Speakers at the event included Deb Baughman, Bedford County Commissioner; Wayne Langerholc, Pennsylvania State Senator; John Crider, Blair County Historical Society; Gary Wiser, Pennsylvania Society, SAR; and Dean Thomas, Pastor of the Safe Harbor House of Healing.

Melissa Cottle (Vice-Regent), Kathy Williams (Chaplain), and Janet Raines, Mary Troutman, Karen Simpson, Betsey Eberle, Dorothy Kauffman and Ruth Morningstar (Daughters) of the Bedford Chapter, DAR performed a wreath laying ceremony.

The Cumberland County Militia, consisting of Dustin Pfirman, Mark Devicchis and Larry Cilch served as an honor guard. They fired a black powder musket salute outside at the end of the ceremony.