Western Maine
66
Phillips’ Elizabeth Dyar by Charles Francis
Revolutionary War heroine
O
n the evening of December 16, 1773 three companies of fifty men each passed through the crowds of spectators thronging the wharves of Boston Harbor. For the most part, the men bore at least some minimal resemblance to Indians, although it was quite clear to all onlookers that there wasn’t an Indian among them. The hundred and fifty men were, of course, the masqueraders who have gone down in history as the Patriots of the Boston Tea Party. The little town of Freeman in Franklin County has a direct tie to the Boston Tea Party. That tie comes through Elizabeth Dyar. According to an article in the Franklin County Journal of June
MILLS MARKET ~ Serving Oxford County for 4 Generations ~
Pizza • Subs • Sandwiches Rib Eye • Hot Dogs Liquor • Lottery Eat In / Dine Out
207-392-3062 28 South Main Street Downtown Andover
12, 1914, Elizabeth Dyar’s husband Joseph Dyar was one of the “Indians” who helped dump the tea from the three East India Company vessels into Boston Harbor. According to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), however, the Dyar who took part in the Tea Party was John Dyar, Jr. Regardless, Elizabeth Dyar, herself, is credited by the DAR with helping to disguise the “Indians” by daubing them with war paint. In fact, the Elizabeth Dyar Memorial in Freeman clearly states that “Elizabeth Nichols Dyar [was] one of three young women who mixed and applied the paint to disguise as Indians the men of the Boston Tea Party...” Elizabeth Dyar came to Maine —
EDMUNDS MARKET
Full Line of Grocery Items Full Deli • Fresh Meats • Seafood Beer • Soda • Agency Liquor Store 24/7 Sunoco Fuel • ATM Available Small Town Service Low Prices & Best Selection
639-3721 • 1185 Rangeley Rd., Phillips edmundsmarket.com
Mark Your Calendar!
SANDERS Est. 1975
207.639.5242
108 Main Street • Phillips, ME 04966 www.sandersautoservice.com
88th Year!
New Portland Lions Agricultural Fair
Auto Service
Auto Service Center Parts Store • Body Shop Wrecker Service
along with her son Joseph Dyar — from Malden, Massachusetts in 1806. At the time, Elizabeth Dyar had been a widow for twenty-three years. The Dyars first settled in Phillips and then moved to Freeman. Joseph Dyar was an influential figure in the development of the Free Will Baptist church in Maine. At the time of his mother’s death in 1818, Joseph Dyar placed a simple stone slab at her grave. It gave her name, age (sixty-seven) and extolled the simple lines, “All flesh is grass.” The Elizabeth Dyar Memorial was erected by the Maine Council of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1924. The memorial, a bronze plaque, also serves to commemorate the patriotic service
25th Annual
“Home of The Hog” 6 Varieties of Beer on Tap • Daily Drink Specials No cover charge on Band Nights
207-639-3191 1032B Rangeley Road • Avon, ME — Open Thursday-Sunday 11am-Close —
Maine Crafts Festival
S U N D A Y IS K ID S D A Y
September 18, 19, & 20, 2020
Demonstrations • Exhibits Animal & Mechanical Pulls! GAMES & S E Fireworks Saturday Night! RID
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Route 146, New Portland, ME
207-628-2916
