An Unknown Gem In Philadelphia...
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 7/8/06
In over 30+ years I've visited Washington Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution many times. I've lead groups of Boy Scouts here, and I've written and spoken about it many times. The grounds beneath Washington Square are the resting place of thousands of Continental Soldiers who died while in the custody of the British Army that occupied Philadelphia during the Fall and Winter of 1777. The soldiers were buried in mass graves along what is now the 6th Street and Walnut Street sides of the Square. Also buried in the Square are hundreds of people who died from a yellow fever epidemic that struck the City.
A simple inscription on the Tomb reads, "Beneath this stone rests a solder of Washington's army who died to give you liberty." That pretty much sums up what Washington Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution is all about. It is well worth visiting and remembering those who went before us who fought and died for our freedom.
Phil Bowdren
Philadelphia