Lee’s Legion Chapter dedicates marker

By Sam Waller

Shackelford County judge John Viertel and Albany mayor Susan Montgomery attended the dedication of an America 250 Patriot Marker on Wednesday, Sept. 13 on the grounds of the Stephens County Courthouse in Breckenridge.

The marker commemorates the 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) of U.S. independence. The 30-inch-by-30-inch marker was placed by the Lee’s Legion Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution with three state DAR officers attending.

The Lee’s Legion Chapter includes members from Shackelford County.

“To have the marker, we had to get permission of the (Stephens) county commissioners and county judge to locate it at the county courthouse,” Lee’s Legion member Lisa Echols said. “We are the first DAR chapter to have one on a courthouse lawn in the state of Texas.”

Echols said the marker pays tribute to the patriots of the American Revolutionary War.

“The intention is so people remember as we prepare to celebrate America 250 in 2026,” she said. “Also, the Lee’s Legion Chapter will celebrate its 100th anniversary in April 2026 at the Old Jail Art Center in Albany. We’re tying all those all those things together.”

Echols said Lee’s Legion members spent about a year raising money for the marker, which reads “This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence. These Patriots, believing in the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to found a new nation.”

Among the fundraising activities was the raffling of a quilt stitched by a chapter member based on the Betsy Ross flag.