From the Daily Press.com, Yorktown, VA: Ruritans mark 30 years of lighting Yorktown Victory Monument
YORK—— Paying the light bill is a big commitment for the York Ruritan Club.
On Sept. 13, the group made its 30th annual payment to keep the Yorktown Victory Monument lit from dusk to dawn 365 days a year. This year's check to the Colonial National Historical Park was for $850.
The monument honors the decisive 1781 American and French Allied victory over the British in the Revolutionary War. The story behind the monument's darkness and relighting in 1981 comes from club treasurer Tom Olsavicky.
During World War II in the early 1940s, the U.S. War Department required the National Park Service to remove the light so Nazi submarines could not use it as a beacon to sink naval and merchant ships as they entered the Atlantic Ocean from Hampton Roads harbors, he said.
The monument remained dark for decades until 1981, when York Ruritans installed new, high-intensity lights and held a formal ceremony to unveil them. At that time, they started a fund to pay the electric bill each year, according to Olsavicky.
The Ruritans hold barbecue sales and other fundraisers throughout the year to fund the project.
Jim Funk, who has been with the club since 1984, said the details are passed down from older club members to younger ones. He got most of the story from a member who has since died, but said arrangements are in place to insure the payment always gets made.
"I don't think they realized what a commitment they made, but we've honored that promise and made sure when we do fundraising every year that's at the top of the budget," Funk said. "That's the largest expenditure that we make toward any community project, because we consider it an honor to have that national monument in Yorktown."
The park service keeps a separate budget line item for the amount so the Ruritans' money doesn't go elsewhere. But occasionally new employees will suggest turning off the lights at midnight as a money saver, and someone tells them it's paid for by the Ruritans, Funk said.
Dan Smith, park superintendent, said in a statement the Ruritans' effort to light the monument 30 years ago was "truly a remarkable undertaking."
"Although most residents take the monument being illuminated for granted and never give it a second thought, the lighting tremendously enhances the power of the landmark and helps create a majestic and inspiring site," Smith said. "Although the annual cost to the Ruritans has more than doubled in the past 30 years, they insist on continuing to provide this important service to the park and to the community."
The Sept. 13 annual ceremony featured several Ruritans handing a check to Smith in front of the monument, complete with a handshake and posing for photos. It's the same thing every year.
"It is a unique monument, and Yorktown is known for that particular phase of the Revolutionary War," Funk said. "That's why we think it's so important to keep it lighted."
To make a donation Checks can be made to York Ruritans and mailed c/o Jim Funk, 112 Laura Lane, Yorktown, VA, 23692.
Did you know?
Yorktown played a role in not only the American Revolution, but also the Civil War. In 1862 it was the site of the first siege operations of the Civil War. In May, 1862 Confederates abandoned Yorktown and Union troops occupied it for the remainder of the war.
