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 This statue depicts a young George Washington as a British officer delivering an ultimatum to the French at Fort LeBeouf.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. The Amish and Mennonites have communities in several states, not just the Lancaster area. As 1 neared the buggy I saw the obligatory red triangle on the back, put there to alert motorists of its presence. Several years ago the Amish begrudgingly agreed to the placement of the reflective triangles on their vehicles, a nod to the realization of the ubiquity of mechanized travel.
I gave the buggy a wide berth and continued on my way to Erie, where I had a hotel reservation for the night. A few minutes before Erie, however, I made one more stop, albeit a brief one, in the small township of Waterford.
The reason for my diversion was to take a look at a statue of George Washington. No doubt there are a number of statues of our first president throughout the country, but this one is said to be the only one showing the father of our country in a British uniform!
What’s the deal here? Was this some kind of joke perpetrated by the sculptor? Did the victor of Yorktown actually fight for the British?
The statue was not a joke and, yes, the victor of Yorktown did indeed at one time fight for the British - in the 1750’s, that is, during the French and Indian War when the colonists still considered themselves to be British subjects.
A young, 21-year old Washington was sent by Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie to the French Fort LeBeouf in what is now the Waterford area to demand that the French leave what was considered by the British to be their territory.
“Non,” said the French commander.
Maybe if Washington had taken Henry Kissinger with him to serve as mediator, or even Jesse Jackson, the war might have been averted.
I reached Erie just a few minutes after leaving Waterford. I checked into the hotel, cleaned up, and got back in the car again, searching for the church that 1 had looked up on the Internet a couple of days before my trip. It was Wednesday evening and I wanted to go to church if at all possible.
The church was listed as being on the same road as the hotel. In fact, the two addresses were very close in number, so I figured I should be close. However, after driving three or four miles and seeing the house numbers getting farther and farther away from the address of the church, I turned around and started heading back to the hotel.
The only explanation I could think of was that I had either transcribed the address wrong or else the church was no longer in existence or had moved to another location.
Just as I was nearing the Interstate I reached an intersection and noticed a building that faced the side road. I saw a sign indicating that it was the church that I was looking for and so I pulled in. By this time it was a few minutes after 7:00 and the service had already started.
The sanctuary looked like it could hold about 100 people, maybe even 120. The number of congregants that evening totaled about 20-25. The pastor, a man who looked to be in his early 30’s, spoke from a small podium at the front rather than from the pulpit, which seemed more appropriate for such a small crowd.
The pastor, Amery Brenly, brought a message on heaven, after which the people divided up into groups for a time of prayer. The pastor graciously offered to pair up with me. After the prayer time, the service was over and the two of us, joined occasionally by some of the other members, sat on the pew and talked for a good little while. I left the church that evening feeling uplifted by the service and the fellowship. A week or two later I received a personal note from the pastor, thanking me for attending.
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Next Installment - Trucks Beneath Mv Feet
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