Released:
Featured image: Mary Himes, President of the Scriba Historical Society, prepares for her presentation on Curtis Shoup at Medal of Honor Day 2025 as fellow presenters, Michael Pittavino and George DeMass, listen.
Oswego — The community is invited to attend a special event commemorating National Medal of Honor Day at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at the Richardson Bates House Museum at 135 E. 3rd Street in Oswego. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited to approximately 40 seats in the drawing room.
Medal of Honor Day, established as a federal day of observance in 1990, recognizes the bravery and sacrifices of military service members who have received the congressional Medal of Honor. Nationwide, over 3,500 individuals have been recognized. Locally, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker of Oswego may be one of the most well-known individuals to be honored. George DeMass, Oswego Town Historian, began commemorating Dr. Mary Edwards Walker on Medal of Honor Day a few years after President George H.W. Bush established the day of observance. “We originally gathered around the Dr. Mary Walker statue. Anywhere between 30-40 people would show up year after year to help us commemorate and honor her.” Over the years, this event expanded to recognize other Medal of Honor recipients with connections to Oswego County and moved indoors to the drawing room in the Richardson-Bates House Museum, home of the Oswego County Historical Society.
This year, presenters Dr. Natalie Joy Woodall and Bill Cahill will join the event. Dr. Woodall will be presenting and recognizing Harry Adriance, a Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion, while Bill Cahill will focus on Carlton Barrett, a native of Fulton awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of bravery with the United States Army on D-Day. Last year’s event featured Curtis Shoup of Scriba and James H. Lee of Oswego. Both awardees will be briefly mentioned this year to recognize their award. And of course, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker of Oswego, will be commemorated again at this year’s event.
After the presentations, the second floor exhibit space featuring Dr. Mary Edwards Walker’s medal of honor will be open for viewing. This permanent exhibit invites visitors to interpret her life and legacy of service and activism and proudly displays Dr. Walker’s Medal of Honor. This will be the public’s only chance to view the medal on display this month until the museum reopens to the public on April 2, 2026.
For more information, please call the museum at 315-343-4312 or visit oswegohistorical.org.
