A monument to the near-shooting of George Washington and his traveling companion, Christopher Gist, in December 1753 in or near Forward Township, located near the Forward Township municipal building on Ash Stop Road. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

FORWARD TWP — To mark America’s 250th birthday, the township is looking to install a new monument to commemorate its unique place in American history.

The municipality includes the approximate spot where George Washington was nearly shot and killed while traveling through colonial Pennsylvania in 1753.

However, the township will require nearly $7,000 in outside fundraising to make a new marker possible.

The new monument would be installed at the flag plaza area, adjacent to the township’s municipal building. It would replace a much older monument to Washington which currently stands alongside Ash Stop Road.

Current plans call for a kiosk with historical information about the near-shooting to be placed alongside the monument. The plaque from the current monument would be removed and transferred to the new monument.

According to township Supervisor Susan Oliver-Stough, the new monument is estimated to cost $21,753 — a figure which does not include other expenses such as landscaping.

The initial plan was to take the entire monument and have it relocated to the new site by the flagpole. However, those plans were scrapped when the township discovered the potential cost of the move, which would likely involve the use of heavy equipment.

“It was going to be about $100,000 with no guarantee that it would stay intact in that move,” Oliver-Stough said. “We decided that was out the window, because we’re not going to spend $100,000 to move the monument.”

In the 2026 budget, the township had earmarked $25,000 for America250-related purposes. However, after two seats on the board of supervisors changed hands, the budget was reopened and the amount was cut to $15,000. The revised budget is set to be voted on at the supervisors meeting Thursday.

If passed, the new budget would leave a shortfall of $6,753 to be covered.

During a planning meeting held Tuesday night, Feb. 10, the township, along with other groups involved with the planning of the event, discussed fundraising methods, such as selling memorial bricks and reaching out to local businesses for help.

“We’ll be putting information out on our township website and then all the organizations that are working with us on this project will put information out on their websites,” Oliver-Stough said.

The township is looking at other ways to cover the shortfall as well, such as grants.

Two historical groups assisting the township with the event — Washington’s Trail 1753 and the Daughters of the American Revolution — have applied for a $10,000 Restoring America grant from the Tennessee nonprofit Americana Corner.

“The township is researching grant opportunities and I reached out to (state) Sen. (Elder) Vogel’s office for suggestions,” Oliver-Stough said.

The first part of the township’s America250 celebration will take place at 2 p.m. on May 17 with a 250th anniversary reception at the Glen Eden event barn on Dufford Road. The event will feature historical reenactors playing both George and Martha Washington, as well as Christopher Gist, Washington’s traveling companion on the day he was nearly shot. While the event is free, a ticket is required to attend. Only 250 tickets will be offered.

While the initial plans were for both the history event and the rededication of the relocated monument to take place on the same day, Oliver-Stough said the new monument will not be finished in time for May 17.