The 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln to take effect on Jan. 1, 1863 to order the freeing of all slaves will be marked Monday night, Dec. 31, in the City of Falls Church as an adjunct to the “Watch Night” festivities here.
On New Year’s Eve in 1862, it was noted “many gathered to pray, discuss and contemplate the meaning of the proclamation on what became known as ‘Watch Night’ or “Freedom’s Eve.’” This coming Monday, the event will be commemorated at the historic Falls Church at 7 p.m. It will open with a welcome from Vice Mayor David Snyder, and overviews by Edwin Henderson, president of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, and Ron Anzalone of the Falls Church Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.
There will be readings from the Emancipation Proclamation and musical selections by the Second Baptist Church choir.
