OSWEGO COUNTY — Dr. Mary Walker, one of the area’s most famous residents, will be remembered later this month at a ceremony marking National Medal of Honor Day at the Oswego Town Hall.

Walker, a Civil War surgeon and early women’s rights activist, is the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was bestowed upon her for her heroic efforts during the American Civil War. Oswego Town Historian George DeMass and others will gather at 10:30 a.m. on March 25 for a brief ceremony near the Mary Walker statue at Oswego Town Hall, 2320 county Route 7, Oswego.

“Dr. Mary Walker was a native of Oswego and a visionary deserving of our recognition,” DeMass said. “She was ahead of her time when it comes to social justice, suffrage and reform, and her remarkable accomplishments are a source of pride for residents and a primary example of our rich history.”

DeMass, who has highlighted Walker’s life and story for years as town historian, will provide remarks, including historical background on the pioneering surgeon and suffragette, as well as an update on the increased interest in her life and story.

Sponsored by the Oswego Town Historical Society, the informal event coincides with Women’s History Month and National Medal of Honor Day, which was first celebrated in 1991 after being signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990.

Born in Oswego Town in 1832, Walker lived and taught in the area before graduating from Central Medical College in Syracuse in 1853 as just the second woman in the U.S. to become a medical doctor. She volunteered her service in hospitals during the early months of the American Civil War.

Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865 with a commendation that noted she “rendered valuable service to the government, and her efforts have been earnest and untiring in a variety of ways.” She served as an assistant surgeon and spent time as a prisoner of war during the 1860s.

The Medal of Honor was rescinded in 1917, but Walker refused to return the medal, which was posthumously reinstated in 1977 by an act of congress.