Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Salem Museum & Historical Society will explore one of Gen. Andrew Lewis’ most significant moments during the American Revolution in a guest lecture titled “The Battle of Cricket Hill.”
The free program is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. and will be livestreamed exclusively on Zoom. A link to the presentation will be available at SalemMuseum.org.
The lecture will be presented by independent scholar Michael Rhodes, who will examine the 1776 expulsion of Royal Gov. Lord Dunmore by Virginia Patriot forces under the command of Lewis. Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, fled with Loyalist supporters aboard roughly 100 vessels and sought refuge at Gwynn’s Island, about 200 yards off the mainland near present-day Hudgins.
Artillery fire from Fort Cricket Hill, led by Lewis’ forces, forced Dunmore to abandon the position, marking his permanent departure from Virginia and ending royal authority in the colony.
Rhodes is a retired Dominion Energy professional with 35 years of experience in supply chain management. He is a graduate of Mary Baldwin University and a member of the Investment Recovery Association, where he served four terms as president. A former U.S. Marine and Army reservist, Rhodes attained the rank of staff sergeant and received honorable discharges from both branches. He and his wife live in Irvington, less than 25 miles north of the Fort Cricket Hill site.
Salem Museum is located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House at 801 E. Main St. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free, with donations accepted. The entrance is marked at the Oakey Field Complex sign across Main Street from the Berglund Ford service entrance.
For more information, contact Garrett Channell, executive director, at 540-389-6760 or garrett@salemmuseum.org.
