Sue Pride, a member of the Raymond Casco Historical Society, is giving presentations this week on 28 Revolutionary War heroes buried in the towns of Raymond and Casco.

The presentations, Pride said, are in honor of both Patriots’ Day and the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Pride delivered her first presentation at the Casco Public Library on Sunday, April 26. The presentation drew a large crowd, with the small reading room being nearly full, and some attendees were themselves descendants of some of the highlighted heroes.

On the day of Pride’s presentation, in another corner of the library there were displays featuring detailed information about the highlighted patriots, each with a unique “America 250” logo, as well as two volumes of research. The exhibit will remain in Casco until Thursday, April 30, when Pride will pick it up and move it to Raymond, where it will remain for another week.

One of the most notable patriots highlighted in the presentation was Capt. Joseph Dingley. According to local legend, prior to the war, Dingley, then a resident of Cape Elizabeth, raced his fellow militiaman Dominicus Jordan up the Presumpscot River to what is now Raymond, where the first to make landfall would win 100 acres. While Jordan slept, Dingley took his canoe and reached Raymond, where he claimed the land. During the war, three men, including Jordan, enrolled in his militia, which eventually became part of the Continental Army.

The most decorated of the highlighted patriots was Capt. Richard Mayberry, of the Windham Militia. Mayberry was present at many of the notable turning points of the war, including the evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga, the battles of Hubbardton, Stillwater, Saratoga and Monmouth, and the winter at Valley Forge. Resigning from the army in 1779, Mayberry settled in what is now Casco, where he is buried at Mountain View Cemetery.

Of the patriots highlighted, only two died in service. Pvt. John Welch died while stationed at West Point, while Charles Wilson, a member of Dingley’s 4th Cumberland County Militia and veteran of the Battle of Saratoga, fell into a river while crossing in Pennsylvania and died at Valley Forge. Pride later said six residents of Raymond and Casco fought at Saratoga, while 12 wintered at Valley Forge.

Pride said she first came up with the idea of highlighting regional heroes about a year ago, with the goal of finishing research before 2026. Over the course of 2025, she perused the historical society’s records, explored local cemeteries, and consulted the Maine Historical Society and Bridgton Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, the latter of whom did a series of posters highlighting local Revolutionary War heroes, which was a major source of inspiration to Pride.

Pride focused her research on those who were buried in the towns of Raymond and Casco. The men she researched include some of the earliest settlers of the area, which was a single town until Casco separated from Raymond in 1841, as well as veterans who arrived after the war. According to Pride, there were other patriots who did live in the area at one point, but died after moving elsewhere.

Pride will be giving a second presentation at the Raymond Village Library on Thursday, April 30, at 4 p.m.