Indian War Party

Date: August 10, 2006

NPS photo by Kitty Seifert

Farmington PA,-- The National Park Service will host an Indian War Party at Fort Necessity National Battlefield Encampment on Saturday, August 12, and Sunday, August 13. The camp will be open to visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. This will be the first time a war party encampment has been held at Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

Volunteer re-enactors from across the region will represent a 1756 Indian raiding party. These raiding parties were composed of a wide range of French allies including not only the Shawnees and Delawares but also the Ottawas, Miamis and Potawatomis. The French allied Indians were attacking the settlers in this area following the orders of the French Governor Vaudreuil who wrote…”best to multiply as much as circumstances permit” the raiding “parties of Indian [sent] into the English Colonies… [for] Nothing is more calculated to disgust the people….” The military goal of the French and Indian War parties was to harass the colonists to such a degree as to make them want to move back east and no longer try to establish communities of British colonies west of the Alleghenies.

The warriors will encamp at the edge of the Great Meadows, in the area where the French and Indians fought from during the battle in 1754. Authentic shelters and demonstrations of important woods skills will be presented to visitors. Visitors are encouraged to explore the camp and re-enactors welcome inquiries of those early years. Historic Weapons demonstrations including musket and swivel gun firing will take place both days at 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the benches near the reconstructed fort.

Visitors are also encouraged to stop in at the new Interpretive and Education Center as well as attend a tour of the Mt. Washington Tavern undergoing interior restoration. Tours of the restoration will be given throughout the day.

General admission for the park is $5.00 per adult, children 15 and under is free of charge. The fee is collected at the park’s Visitor Center and is valid for seven days. For more information on this and other programs at Fort Necessity, please call [phone] or visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/fone.