Vienna Prepares for Celebration of Historic Battle

(VIENNA, Md) – A celebration on the banks of the Nanticoke River over 200 years in the making.

The small town of Vienna is getting set for a major historical celebration later in August, and it’s taking place across the entire community, from the banks of the Nanticoke River to the historic Handsell House.

We met with Midge Ingersoll of the Nanticoke Historical Alliance about the town-wide celebration of the Battle of Vienna.

“Well, we’re very excited because we are partnering with the Vienna Heritage, society. And, of course, we’re the Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance. We’re only a mile and a half from the village of Vienna. And all the activity happened between Vienna and here…” says Nanticoke Preservation Alliance VP, Midge Ingersoll.

Joining the Preservation Alliance the Dorchester County Historical Society will also be displaying the remains of a colonial shipwreck, once sunk in the Nanticoke waters…

And a few other things.

Historical Society Director, Marcos Salaverria tells WMDT, “There’s a lot of local lore. There’s a lot of could-have-beens. But now using maritime archeology of the actual pieces of the shipwreck, which will be on display, as well as period letters…”

And multiple groups coming together means a more complete story will be told across the town.

Midge tells us, “…Partnering, we get to tell the joint story of what happened in the village when the village was raided, storehouses were raided, attacked. But then this is an example of a local American Patriots plantation that also would have been attacked by the British. ”

The celebration will take place Saturday, August 29th in Vienna.