RADFORD – Tours of the historic Ingles farm, 1700s dress swords, exhibits at museums throughout the New River Valley and an outdoor drama are just a few of the sites and items visitors can see as the New River Valley celebrates Mary Draper Ingles Remembrance Day.
Visitors will get a glimpse of late 1700s rural life in southwest Virginia at Ingles Farm, where Mary lived out her life along the New River. The property, which is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, remains a working farm run by descendant Col. Lewis Ingles “Bud” Jeffries and includes a replica of the original cabin, livestock, graveyard and remnants of a ferry site. Storytellers will be there to share information on Mary’s famous capture by a party of Shawnee Indians and her escape and trek over hundreds of miles back to the New River Valley. They’ll also provide information on the area’s important role as a trade and commerce center in the early westward expansion of America. The farm, located at 9 Wilderness Road near Exit #105 off I-81, will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.
The Wilderness Road Regional Museum will host a variety of special activities that will kick off with local singer Ricky Cox performing ‘Traveling Songs’ on Saturday, July 27 starting at 1 p.m. He will explain how the songs traveled from the British Isles with America’s first settlers. There also will be a display titled “Ingles Ferry to Newbern.” A special pamphlet will be available in the museum shop highlighting the connections. An exhibit titled “Swords of the Patriots” will feature the dress swords of Colonel William Preston, Colonel William Fleming and Colonel William Ingles and will be on display on Sunday, July 28 from noon until 5 p.m. As an added bonus, a limited number of special admission tickets will be available at noon for Ingles Tavern tours. The first 60 people to stop by the Wilderness Road Museum and view the sword display will be offered a ticketed pass to visit the Ingles Tavern at a scheduled time Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Tavern tours will be available only to guests of Wilderness Road Regional Museum. Fifteen passes will be issued for each 30-minute tour.
Visitors may come to the museum as early as 12 p.m. to claim one of the passes. Visitation time will be limited to the time printed on the pass.
Visitors to Glencoe Mansion and the Radford Visitor’s Center on Saturday, July 27 from noon – 4 p.m. will see historical interpretations of soldiers’ lives and daily activities in the 18th century and a Mary Draper Ingles video short and display. Books, commemorative prints by acclaimed artist P. Buckley Moss and other souvenirs will be available in the gift shop.
Visitors also will want to tour the Mary Draper Ingles Cultural Heritage Park that includes a bronze statue of the heroine. The park is adjacent to Glencoe and the Visitor’s Center and overlooks the New River and has been designated as a Virginia Treasure by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
An outdoor drama called “Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story” is now in its third season and Mary’s story will be retold on the Radford University campus on July 27th and 28th at 6:30PM.
Radford tourism director Deborah Cooney says the Mary Draper Ingles Weekend intends to provide a weekend that gives an overview of a special frontierswoman, life in the region and the development of the area during these two centuries. “It’s a varied menu, and one we hope prompts visitors to delve deeper into the fascinating stories of our early American history,” says Cooney.
In 2017 the Virginia General Assembly honored Ingles by designating the last Saturday in July as her special day. The distinction has continued to increase interest in the story of Mary’s capture and escape from a Shawnee hunting party during the French and Indian War. Over the years, her return home by navigating rivers and living off the land has been the subject of numerous books, outdoor dramas and several movies. She is also widely honored through the states of West Virginia and Kentucky.
Mary is one of 12 women to be honored in a monument on Virginia’s Capitol Grounds in Richmond that is scheduled to open in October 2019.
Points of interest for Mary Draper Ingles Weekend, July 27-28 include:
Ingles Farm, July 27, 10AM-3PM, 9 Wilderness Road, Radford
Mary Draper Ingles Statue, dawn to dusk, 601 Unruh Dr, Radford
Mary Draper Ingles Video Short and Exhibit, Interpretations of Daily and Military Life, Mary-related Books & Souvenirs, July 27, 10AM-4PM, Glencoe Mansion & Radford Visitor’s Center, 600 Unruh Dr, Radford
Traveling Songs with Ricky Cox and Ingles Ferry to Newbern display, July 27th at 1PM and Swords of the Patriots, July 28, Noon-5PM (limited number of tickets beginning at Noon will be available for Ingles Tavern tour), Wilderness Road Regional Museum, 5243 Wilderness Road, Dublin
Andrew Johnston House & Giles County Historical Society, July 27 & 28, 2-3PM, 208 N. Main St, Pearisburg
Smithfield Plantation-July 27, 10AM-5PM, July 28, 1-5PM, 1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd, Blacksburg
Floyd County Historical Museum, July 27, 11AM-3PM, 217 N. Locust St, Floyd
Obelisk, Westview Cemetery, 1500 Fifth St, Radford
The Return of Mary Draper Ingles Mural at Radford Post Office, 901 W. Main St, Radford
Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story (outdoor drama) July 27 & 28, 6:30PM, 101 University Drive, Radford
The July 27-28 events in the New River Valley are part of Virginia’s AMERICAN EVOLUTION™ commemoration for the 400th anniversary of key historical events in Virginia in 1619 that continue to influence America today. Wilderness Road Regional Museum, Ingles Farm and Glencoe Museum have been chosen as some of the 200 historical sites in the state that best tell Virginia’s story of democracy, diversity, and opportunity. They are included on the Virginia History app, which can be downloaded on mobile devices to lead tourists to the key sites.
Brochures with Mary-related site information will be available at Ingles Farm and the Radford Visitor’s Center. Site information is also available at www.MaryDraperInglesTrail.com .
