Tennessee Valley Chapter SAR to bring Revolutionary War history to life at Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll
HUNTSVILLE – The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Alabama Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) will participate in the 2026 Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll on Sunday, October 18, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery, 203 Maple Hill Drive SE, Huntsville. The free annual living-history event is sponsored by the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association and gives visitors an opportunity to encounter people and stories from Huntsville’s past.
Tennessee Valley Chapter Color Guardsmen in Revolutionary War-era attire will present the Colors and help lead the opening parade. Throughout the afternoon, chapter members will interact with visitors, explain the history and symbolism of Revolutionary War-era flags, discuss the mission of the SAR, and answer questions about the American Revolution and patriot ancestry.
This year, chapter members will also portray two Revolutionary War veterans who later became part of Madison County history.
William Sommers will portray Lt. Albert Russel, a Continental Army officer who served in the Virginia Line during the Revolutionary War. Russel served as an ensign, lieutenant, and regimental adjutant with the 12th and 8th Virginia Regiments and remained in Continental service through the close of the war. He moved to Huntsville in 1816, died here in 1818, and is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery.
David M. Poehlein will portray Sgt. William Walling, a South Carolina militia veteran who began military service as a teenager. Walling served during the 1778 expedition toward British East Florida, fought at the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779, and later took part in operations near Biggin Church and Quinby Bridge. He eventually settled near Ditto’s Landing, applied for his Revolutionary War pension in Huntsville in 1832, and died in Madison County in 1834.
The portrayals continue a longstanding chapter connection with the Maple Hill Stroll. Tennessee Valley Chapter member Jim Maples portrayed Albert Russel for approximately eight years, and Ken Carpenter later continued the portrayal. The chapter’s participation combines living history, patriotic ceremony and public education to show how veterans of the Revolution later moved west and became part of the story of North Alabama.
At 2:30 p.m., the Tennessee Valley Chapter will also support the John Hunt Society, Children of the American Revolution, in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring Revolutionary War Patriot John Ward. The brief ceremony will take place in Block 12, Lot 53.
Media are invited to cover the opening activities and Grand Stroll Parade beginning at 1:30 p.m. For coverage arrangements or additional background on the Tennessee Valley Chapter’s participation, contact David M. Poehlein at (915) 307-0350 or david.poehlein@gmail.com.
About the Tennessee Valley Chapter
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Alabama Society Sons of the American Revolution serves Huntsville and surrounding North Alabama communities through historic preservation, patriotic education, commemorative activities, veterans support and public history programs.
