Abington Township maintains multiple sites which honor military veterans past and present. Some of those sites were 18th century battlegrounds.
Ed Miccolo War Memorial Park
The park was renovated and reopened in November 2019, and its grounds feature the original memorial to WW1 veterans with the eternal light on top, a bronze statue and memorial to Vietnam Veterans of the Township, as well the WW2 Memorial.
The enclosed park also includes benches and bricks dedicated to veterans.
From the United States Army Reserve’s news brief after the park’s renaming in 2021:
The War Memorial Park here was named for local veteran Ed Micciolo during a ceremony Nov. 11 at the memorial site.
More than 100 senior military leaders, community members, veterans and families participated in the Veterans Day ceremony.
“On Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women from all walks of life who have stepped forward to defend our nation throughout our history,” said Col. John Wildermann, chief of Operations for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division. “During the past two-and-a-half centuries, Americans like Ed have been called upon time and again to put down their ploughshares, pick up their swords and defend our freedoms and way of life.”
Micciolo was a former U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War. He was a long-time Public Works employee in Abington and a community leader who led the charge to build the memorial originally dedicated two years ago. Micciolo died in January 2020 shortly after the memorial was completed.
“This legacy of proud and honorable service lives on within the brave men and women who wear the uniform today,” Wildermann said. “Our current generation of service members is proving its courage and resolve every day as we face 21st century threats on asymmetrical battlefields across the globe.”
The Edmund R. Micciolo Park serves as a tribute and space for veterans, families, neighbors and friends to gather and reflect on the sacrifice and perseverance that have allowed service members to preserve the American way of life.
Abington District World War I Memorial
Erected and unveiled in 1921 by the Citizens of Abington District, this marker lies at the intersection of Old York Road and Susquehanna Road.
Abington Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Erected in 1992 by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, this site hosted multiple Revolutionary War skirmishes. Burials include notable pastors and educators alongside veterans of major wars.
Revolutionary War Patriots Buried in the Abington Presbyterian Church Graveyard
Erected in 1987 by the William Penn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the cemetery was used as a defensive position during the Battle of Whitemarsh in 1777, according to local historian Mike Leibrandt.
The following Revolutionary War veterans are buried there:
- Private Robert Barnes 1756-1815
- Isaac Boileau 1722-1820
- 2nd Lt. John Houston 1751-1820
- Colonel Robert Loller 1740-1808
- Captain John Mann 1740-1819
- Captain William McCalla 1732-1815
Hillside Cemetery
Established in 1890, Hillside’s Ardsley section has over 20 Civil War veterans as well as a German War Memorial within its walls, dedicated over 100 years ago to the Frano/Prussian War where Napoleon III was defeated.
Hessian Soldiers fought the British on Hillside’s premises during the Battle of Whitemarsh.
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Photos courtesy of the Historical Market Database