Students from Wyoming Valley West, Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Area and Wyoming Seminary will tour some historical sites in Forty Fort and Wyoming, including the meeting house, organizer Janet Marko said.

Constructed in 1807, the Forty Fort Meeting House is the oldest church in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.

The students will start and end their day there, but they will take a guided bus tour that will include the Wyoming Monument, the Swetland Homestead and the Nathan Denison House.

Marko organized the tour with fellow teacher Madeline Volpetti. They wanted to get area students involved, and no one is more enthusiastic than students skipping class - with the teacher's permission.

"It came out of the bicentennial Meeting House celebration," said Marko, a retired English teacher from Wyoming Valley West High School. "One of the aims was to get students involved. When I came on the committee, I said, 'Let's do some kind of tour.'"

Marko sent letters to fourth-grade teachers throughout the area, but she only had room for 10 classes. If the tours are successful, Marko may offer them again in the spring.

Participating students will begin their lesson with a brief stop at the Forty Fort marker on River Street. The marker

commemorates the original site of the "Fort of the Forty," where the original 40 settlers from Connecticut made their homes.

The students will then ride to the Wyoming Monument, where a guide will talk to them about the Battle of Wyoming.

According to historical records, the battle only lasted about 45 minutes. American colonists were outnumbered two to one, and an estimated 250 to 300 patriot soldiers were killed. The British Army only lost about 20 soldiers, records indicated.

The colonists surrendered but were allowed to stay in the valley. The British Army had guaranteed their safety, records indicated.

After stopping at the monument, the tour will continue on to the Swetland Homestead in Wyoming. William Swetland was one of the original settlers. His home, built in 1803, stayed in his family for three generations.

The tour will then proceed to the Forty Fort home of Nathan Denison, which was built in 1790. Also an original settler, Denison went on to become a prominent local judge and a state representative.

Guides will be on hand to take the students through both homes, Marko said. They will also ride the buses with the students and lecture them while in transit.

Annette Meade, a retired elementary teacher from Wyoming Valley West, will ride one bus. She even found some period clothing to wear.

"What I'm going to present to them is historical facts," she said, "but I'm going to present it as if they were the colonial children."

The students will conclude their day with a guided tour of the Meeting House. They will also visit the Forty Fort Cemetery graves of some of the people about whom they learned, Marko said.

©The Citizens' Voice 2007

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