Saturday, May 24
Remembering Job Hoisington

Job Hoisington moved to Buffalo a few years before the War of 1812 and joined the militia when war broke out. On December 30, 1813, the British crossed the Niagara River and marched south along until they reached Porter Avenue and headed east toward Main Street. Hoisington and his fellow militiamen confronted the invaders at Porter and Plymouth, vastly outnumbered and lacking support from the regular army. The militia could not hold the line, but Hoisington stayed behind to cover the retreat of his fellow soldiers to Main Street and then to Williamsville. They escaped, but Hoisington died. His heroic last stand became the subject of an epic poem, and an admirer stole his skull when his body was moved to Forest Lawn Cemetery in 1850. This Saturday the Kleinhans Communty Association dedicates a historic marker honoring Hoisington, a ceremony that includes a reception and a reading of “On the Death of a Mr. Job Hoisington.” A one-hour walking tour of Porter Avenue and Symphony Circle follows the reception.

—geoff kelly

10:30am. Karpeles Manuscript Museum, 453 Porter Avenue. FREE