VIENNA, Md. – Some neighbors in Vienna are working to bring the town's history back to life. On Saturday, the first-ever "Battle of Vienna" living history event will take the community back in time.
According to Kathryn Masten, a member of the Vienna Historical Society, the Battle of Vienna was a series of skirmishes between British troops and local militia.
Saturday’s event will include the opportunity to learn the story of a local man who fought to protect the town: Levin Dorsey.
"He's the only known patriot to have been killed during the American Revolution on Dorchester County soil,” said Masten. “And that's what makes him incredibly relevant for us here in Dorchester County. And it happened here in Vienna.”
Plantation owner Levin Dorsey's gravestone sits in the cemetery beside Church Creek's landmark Old Trinity Church. He died as a Patriot, defending the Vienna Ports against British raids.
Dorsey's tombstone lies in the cemetery beside Church Creek's landmark Old Trinity Church. He lived in Church Creek too, where his family owned plantations.
But one day, he traveled from that small town to Vienna to help planters defend themselves against the British, who were coming to the ports to steal from locals.
According to records dug up by Masten, Dorsey was killed in Vienna, most likely down by the ports. He was hit by a piece of artillery.
“The British were making their way up here because they needed provisions. And, so they found it convenient to raid little port towns like Vienna. And that meant economic disaster also for the plantation owners. So it wasn't just a matter of patriotism, it was a matter of economic survival for them to work together,” said Masten.
Now, along the same waterfront where the British once sailed up the Nanticoke River to steal corn and burn ships, Vienna Heritage and the Nanticoke Preservation Alliance will host the inaugural Battle of Vienna event. The event will include colonial boats setting sail on the river, reenactments and colonial games.
At the Nanticoke River Discovery Center, pieces of a boat found in the river in 2015 from back in Dorsey's time will also be on display. The Maryland Archeological Conservancy is loaning these pieces to the Discovery Center.
"When you come to see the ship, it's the same time period as these skirmishes. It's the same time period that Levin Dorsey stood on this bank and ... took a shot for America,” said Patricia Johnson, Vice President of Vienna Heritage. “And we need to protect that now, because our heritage comes from what people have done over and over for years to protect the democracy of America.”
Pieces of a ship found in the Nanticoke River that are dated back to 1781.
The event runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a range of activities happening across different parts of the town.
