State Honors Corporal Leonard A. Lord, First Vermonter Killed in Action During World War I

Montpelier, Vt.- The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation is dedicating a Roadside Historic Site Marker to Corporal Leonard A. Lord, the first Vermonter killed in action during the Great War. The Roadside Marker is set just outside Riverside Cemetery in Swanton, where Lord was reinterred in 1921. The tribute will be unveiled at 1:00 p.m. on April 12th at 176 North River Street in Swanton. Vermont & Massachusetts Army National Guard members, Cemetery Commissioner John Kaczkowski, Town Administrator Brian Savage, and Vermont State Historic Preservation Officer Laura V. Trieschmann, will provide remarks about Cpl. Lord and his legacy. All are welcome, though parking at the cemetery will be limited.

Growing up in Swanton, Leonard Lord was born in 1897 in Saint-Sebastien, Quebec. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 14, 1917, at Fort Ethan Allen, assigned to Company B of the 103rd Machine Gun Battalion, 26th Infantry "Yankee'' Division. Lord was shipped overseas on October 3, where he engaged the enemy throughout northeastern France near the German border. On April 12th, 1918, he was killed during heavy artillery bombardment in Bois Brûlé when attempting to reach his machine gun emplacement. His remains were initially buried in France but reinterred at Riverside Cemetery in 1921.

The Leonard A. Lord Marker is the 335th placed by the Division for Historic Preservation. Unveiled in 1947 by the Vermont Legislature, the Roadside Historic Site Marker Program has proven an effective way to commemorate Vermont's many people, events, and places of regional, statewide, and national significance. The cast-aluminum green markers, crested with the distinctive gold state seal, are placed throughout Vermont to provide a fascinating glimpse into the past and insights into the present. Learn more about Vermont Roadside Historic Site Marker Program by visiting https://accd.vermont.gov/historic-preservation/roadside-markers.

About the Division for Historic Preservation
The Vermont Roadside Historic Site Marker Program is administered by the Division for Historic Preservation, a division of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD). DHCD works to support vibrant and resilient communities, promote safe and affordable housing for all, protect the state's historic resources, and improve the quality of life for Vermonters.

About the Agency of Commerce and Community Development
The mission of ACCD is to help Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities. ACCD accomplishes this mission by providing grants, technical assistance, and advocacy through three divisions: the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Tourism and Marketing. For more information on ACCD, please visit: accd.vermont.gov.