Photos by Gwen Sour Members of the Captain James Neal Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution fly the colors to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first Continental Congress.

PARKERSBURG — A ceremony to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first Continental Congress was held Thursday night at the Parkersburg Municipal Building.

According to Sons of the Revolution, Captain James Neal Chapter President Ted Cox, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, Pa., and met from Sept. 5 to Oct. 22, 1774.

Delegates protested acts taken by the British Parliament and referred to them as “Intolerable Acts” and met to seek out a resolution to these issues. This action is what led to the Declaration of Independence and culminated in the Revolutionary War.

“They closed the port in Boston, they put taxes on us … they did it just to sort of control Boston, Massachusetts,” said Cox, “They were really trying to get along with England … they wouldn’t give us the right to freedom and things like that.”

The James Neal Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution meets monthly. The group takes on other projects associated with the Revolutionary War and every year they choose a different event from that time period to focus on.

“We did the Boston Tea Party down at the Point (Point Park),” said Cox, “Had a boat and threw tea at the end of the river … we have something planned every year until 2033.”

During Thursday’s event, the group recited a pledge to honor those who fought in the American Revolution and invited all attendees to recite it with them.

“We the descendants of the heroes of the American Revolution, who by their sacrifices, established the United States of America. We each reaffirm our faith in the principles of Liberty and our Constitutional Republic, and solemnly pledge ourselves to defend them against every foe.”

The group plans to host a Patriot March on Sept. 28 at 9 a.m. and the march will begin at the Wood County Justice Center and will end down at Point Park.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com