Forward Township planning for America’s 250th
FORWARD TWP — The township’s plans for its sesquicentennial celebration in May 2026 will take roughly $25,000 and some cooperation from incoming supervisors to pull off.
The current supervisors are looking to move a stone monument commemorating the place where future first president George Washington was nearly shot and killed by his traveling companion during his trek through the colonies in 1753.
“There is one major event that defines Forward Township in American history and that is the attempted assassination of George Washington,” said township Supervisor Mark Wilson. “Think about what would have happened to this country had Washington not survived that ambush. That's a pivotal point in the history of this country. It's a pivotal point in the history of democracy.”
The monument, located along Ash Stop Road and erected exactly 100 years ago by the Daughters of the American Revolution, is falling into disrepair. This is due in part to its placement near the township’s salt shed, along with its proximity to a road frequented by heavy trucks. The township is planning to move the statue closer to the flag plaza near its municipal building.
“There’s a lot of environmental damage to it and there’s the vibration of the trucks and the vibration of traffic,” said township upervisor Susan Oliver-Stough. “And it’s a 100-year-old monument.”
“If we don't do something, it's inevitably going to just fall into pieces,” Wilson said.
The township is planning to have the process of moving and rededicating the statue completed by May 17, 2026. However, the process of moving the statue will be more complicated — and costly — than initially anticipated, according to Oliver-Stough.
“Moving it in total... taking a crane, picking it up and trying to move it, is going to cost $100,000,” Oliver-Stough said. “But if we take it apart and rebuild it on a new site by the flag plaza, it’s going to be probably less than $25,000.”
Another option, according to Oliver-Stough, is to build a completely new stone monument by the flag plaza, but attach the plaque from the old monument.
“We haven’t locked down a decision, but we should probably have a decision fairly soon,” Oliver-Stough said.
On the township’s 2026 draft budget, $25,000 has been budgeted for the statue project. Oliver-Stough said the township is hoping to offset the cost through fundraising campaigns and state grants.
“The committee’s goal is to raise all the money, but if that doesn’t happen, we would need township assistance,” Oliver-Stough said.
The township plans for dedication of the monument at its new site to be accompanied by a reception featuring re-enactors portraying George and Martha Washington.
However, the sesquicentennial plans may be impacted by turnover on the township’s board of supervisors.
Wilson, who championed the project during Thursday’s meeting, is retiring from the board at the end of 2025. Fellow board member Sheryle Long, who was appointed in May to replace the resigning Steve Buehler, opted to focus on her legal career and to not run for the remaining two years of Buehler’s term.
At the start of 2026, the two vacancies will be filled by current township roadmaster Charles Behm and newcomer Ray Turner.
During Thursday’s meeting, Behm questioned why the township had voted to earmark $25,000 for the project during a work session held the previous week, which is normally made up of discussion instead of action.
Behm went on to state he would not support the spending of any township money on the statue or any ceremonies surrounding it.
“In the past 34 years, my vote never counted. But come January, my vote’s going to count,” Behm said. “We’re going to revisit this budget... I will definitely see that there’s no taxpayer money spent on program brochures, event barn rental, re-enactors, food or refreshments. Everybody says they want to keep this township rural. Every meeting, we get closer and closer to Cranberry.”
“If you and Ray want to kill the project, go ahead and kill it in January and let the community and everybody know that you killed the project,” Oliver-Stough responded.
Oliver-Stough said a ceremony would be held on May 17 even if the project to move the statue was scuttled.
