Last updated: October 10, 2024
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March-In Commemoration 2022
NPS Graphic/G. Purifoy
Join Us on Saturday, December 17, 2022!
Indoor activities 9 AM to 5 PM
Outdoor activities 11 AM to 6 PM
Visit Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, December 17, 2022 as we commemorate the 245th anniversary of the arrival of the Continental Army to Valley Forge in 1777 with family-friendly programs, demonstrations, reenactors, and hands-on activities!
Indoor activities run from 9 AM to 5 PM in the Visitor Center at Valley Forge. Outdoor activities run from 11 AM to 6 PM. At 10 AM, join a short guided walk from the visitor center to Muhlenberg's Brigade led by reenactors from Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment.
March-In activities are spread across the park with programming taking place at the visitor center, Muhlenberg's Brigade, and the Washington's Headquarters area.
Daytime outdoor activities are scheduled from 11 AM to 4 PM. When the sun goes down, the lanterns light up and it's time to gather around the campfire for evening programs at Muhlenberg's Brigade, scheduled at 4 PM and 5 PM.
See below for the full schedule of activities, times, and locations!
Activities at the Visitor Center
What's in a Day Check-In/Check-Out
9 AM to 5 PM | Visitor Center Exhibit Area
Travel around the park to discover the story of a real person who was at the Valley Forge encampment. Completed activity worksheets must be turned in at the visitor center before 5 PM to receive the exclusive March-In Junior Ranger badge!
Cartridge Making
10 AM to 5 PM | Visitor Center Exhibit Area
Learn about the importance of black powder cartridges and other military supplies. Join this interactive program and make your own cartridge, just like a soldier who fought in the American Revolution.
Colonial Hats and Cockades
10 AM to 5 PM | Visitor Center Exhibit Area
Construct your own fashionable hat to wear!
Tailoring Brigade, Clothing Try-On, and Selfie Station
10 AM to 5 PM (paused from 12:30 PM to 1 PM) | Visitor Center Second Floor
Learn from our award-winning* volunteer corps, the Tailoring Brigade! This talented group researches 18th-century craft and material culture. Learn how they make, repair, and alter living history clothing for public interpretation or exhibition, then try on some colonial clothing and pose for a picture! #TailoredContinental
* 2020 George and Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in the Northeast Region of the National Park Service
The Way of the Quill
First State National Historical Park
10 AM to 5 PM (paused from 12:30 PM to 1 PM) | Visitor Center Exhibit Area
Ditch your ballpoint pen and step back in time to practice your numbers and letters with a quill pen and ink!
Activities at Muhlenberg's Brigade
NPS Graphic/G. Purifoy
What’s in a Day Activity
Clue Location
9 AM to 4:30 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Find clues about your person! Completed activity worksheets must be turned in at the visitor center before 5 PM to receive the exclusive March-In Junior Ranger badge.
Building Gabions
11 AM to 3 PM | Redoubt Area
Try to weave your own gabion (a French term for a large “basket” woven with vines and sticks, filled with dirt, and used to construct forts like the reconstructed Redoubt 2).
Children’s Games
11 AM to 3 PM | Redoubt Area
Race your family and friends with hoop-rolling or play solo to see how many times you can get the ball in the cup within 1-minute.
Clothing & Gear Comparison
11 AM to 3 PM (paused from 12:30 PM to 1 PM) | Brigade Hut Area
Compare and contrast modern day winter clothing and gear with what soldiers and camp followers used in 1777.
Historic Building Tools & Techniques
Historic Preservationist, Valley Forge National Historical Park
11 AM to 3 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Get hands-on experience working with traditional tools and learn how buildings were constructed in the 18th century.
Building Shelter
Reenactors from Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment
11 AM to 4 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Try to construct your own shelter using various materials.
Iron Industry
Pottsgrove Manor
11 AM to 4 PM (paused from 12:30 PM to 1 PM) | Brigade Hut Area
Learn why the iron industry was so prevalent in this area, where the resources were coming from, and what impact the industry had on the American Revolution and beyond.
Encampment Life
Reenactors from Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment
11 AM to 6 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Experience the daily life of the enlisted men, their officers, and women attached to the army. Learn what they wore, what they ate, see them performing drill and guard duty, and how they experienced the winter encampment at Valley Forge.
Ned Hector and the History of Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
Reenactor Noah Lewis
11 AM to 12:30 PM, 1 PM to 3:30 PM, 4 PM to 6 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Listen to short talks on a variety of fascinating topics presented by reenactor Noah Lewis portraying Ned Hector, a teamster and Black soldier in the Revolutionary War local to this area.
Black Powder Demonstration
Reenactors from Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment
12:30 PM & 3:30 PM | Firing Range
Soldiers demonstrate a medley of the Manual Exercise of 1764 and von Steuben with musket firings. Exclusive to the 3:30 PM firing: “Mourn Your Firelocks,” 18th century military ceremony to commemorate the sacrifice of the men and women of the Valley Forge encampment.
Practice Your Drills
1 PM & 2 PM | Redoubt
Prepare to join the Continental Army by working through von Steuben’s drills with a wooden musket.
Evening Campfire Talks
4 PM & 5 PM | Redoubt Area
4 PM - Learn what defensive structures looked like during the Valley Forge encampment.
5 PM - Join us around the campfire as we share the history of the Continental Army’s march into Valley Forge.
Colonial Musicians
Reenactors from Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment
4 PM to 6 PM | Brigade Hut Area
Enjoy a selection of 18th century music, with opportunities to ask the soldiers about their instruments.
Activities at Washington's Headquarters
NPS Graphic/G. Purifoy
What's in a Day Activity
Clue Location
9 AM to 4:30 PM | Outside the Train Station
Find clues about your person! Completed activity worksheets must be turned in at the visitor center before 5 PM to receive the exclusive March-In Junior Ranger badge.
Historic Valley Forge Train Station
10 AM to 4:30 PM
The train station is home to the exhibit Washington's Wartime Family and is a great place to warm up on a chilly day.
Washington's Headquarters Open House
10 AM to 4:30 PM
The Isaac Potts house served as General George Washington's headquarters during the Valley Forge encampment of the Continental Army in the winter of 1777-78. Rangers will be on-site to speak about the people who lived and worked in this historic building and answer questions.
Agriculture and Revolution
Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation
11 AM to 4 PM | Near Stable
Learn about the processing of grains like wheat and flax, textiles like wool, and other products of 18th century agriculture, and how the Revolutionary War affected local farmers.
Sentries and the Commander in Chief's Life Guard
11 AM to 4 PM | Around the Washington's Headquarters Area
Sentries stood guard and controlled access to the Continental Army’s winter encampment at Valley Forge. The Commander in Chief’s Guard, also known as the Life Guard, was composed of specially selected soldiers who protected George Washington and the Continental Army’s cash and official papers. Be on the lookout for special signage to tell you the specific sign and countersign (passwords) to use to gain access to the Headquarters building!