On April 12, a new roadside historic site marker will be unveiled at Riverside Cemetery in Swanton.  This marker will commemorate Leonard Lord, a World War I Corporal who grew up in Swanton and is buried at the cemetery.

Lord was born in 1897 in Saint-Sebastien, Quebec, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 14, 1917.  On October 3, he was deployed overseas to France, where he fought German forces until his death on April 12, 1918.  The first Vermonter killed in action, he leaves a legacy in the town of Swanton, where he will be honored with the roadside historic site marker.

A dedication ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 12, from 1:oo P.M. – 3:00 P.M., at Riverside Cemetery in Swanton.  The event is open to the public, and will feature several guest speakers who will talk about Leonard Lord’s life and legacy.  Among those in attendance will be Vermont Historic Preservation Officer, Laura Trieschmann, who will deliver remarks on Corporal Lord.  Also in attendance will be Vermont & Massachusetts Army National Guard members, Cemetery Commissioner John Kaczkowski, and Town Administrator Brian Savage.

This historic marker will be the 335th to be erected in Vermont, and is expected to be followed by the placement of several others this year, including one for Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven and Ann Story, a Salisbury resident who risked her life and her children’s lives to serve the Green Mountain Boys as a spy during the Revolutionary War.