LUTHER WILSON

Inscription

LUTHER WILSON
STUFFED LEAVES INTO BELLS OF
HIS COWS SO BRITISH TROOPS
WOULDN’T HEAR AND CONFISCATE
THEM AS THEY MARCHED PAST
ON DECEMBER 23, 1813.
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2025

Luther Wilson was the son of Reuben Wilson, the founder of Wilson, NY. During the War of 1812, British soldiers marched through the village of Wilson, destroying many homes, on their way to Kempville (now Olcott) to destroy a grist mill. Luther, who was 15 at the time, was in the field tending to his family’s cows during the raid. He stuffed the cows’ bells with straw, hay, and leaves because he did not want the British to hear the cowbells. If the soldiers heard them, they would have taken the cows for the meat. Luther not only saved his own cows but also many that belonged to his neighbors. The story of Luther Wilson and the cow bells has become a local legend throughout Niagara County, where Wilson is located.