Willshire ready to celebrate bicentennial

VW independent staff and submitted information

WILLSHIRE — 2022 is the bicentennial of Captain James Riley founding the Village of Willshire. He named the town in honor of William Willshire, who rescued Captain Riley and his crew from slavery in the Sahara after they were shipwrecked off the Western Sahara coast in 1816.

One year later Riley published Sufferings In Africa, the tale of their capture, enslavement, and eventual release. Abraham Lincoln listed this book as one of the three most influential books that influenced his views of slavery.

Dr. Darrell Groman, O.D., will be the speaker at the ‘We Love Willshire’ bicentennial dinner celebration, scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, February 26, at Hillside Bed and Breakfast. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Groman has had an interest in Captain Riley since the age of eight, growing up by and exploring Riley Creek in Bluffton. He will portray Captain Riley in period appropriate surveyor clothing and tell of his explorations of the area.

Dinner will be catered by the Rockford Carryout and tickets are available for $20 at the Willshire Village Office, the Photo Star, the Rockford Village Hall, or by calling or texting 419.495.4022. Deadline to purchase tickets is Thursday, February 17.