The Allegheny Foothills Historical Society is planning a 2- day event October 4th & 5th, 2008 to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of Colonel George Washington and General John Forbes camping at Camp Cross Turtle Creek in current day Boyce Park, Plum Borough, Allegheny County, PA. We call this "Washington's Encampment 2008." The actual date was November 22nd, 1758, but in order to avoid conflicts with other annually scheduled events and a more friendly climate for overnight camping we selected the October dates.
We plan to have reenactors, sutlers, artists, artisans, historical speakers as well as food, historical demonstrations and entertainment to take place in the woodlands and trails of Boyce Park, all FREE to the public! We plan to provide shuttle service to the various site events. We are in partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Parks in this awesome endeavor. We will be involving many community groups to support the event, including 400 local Boy Scouts.
Our goal is to acknowledge, entertain and inform the local and area community of the historical significance of the events of the early history of Western Pennsylvania in a way that is both educational and FUN! We believe that too few realize what happened in this part of the region and it's significance. We especially feel our young people need to understand or at least be told of the importance our region played in the history of these United States and the World.
We hope to have speakers from Fort Necessity, Fort Ligonier, Bushy Run Battlefield, and also speakers on topics of Early habitation by Native Americans, The McJunkin Dig, Washington's journey through Plum. We already have commitments from Dr. David Dixon from Slippery Rock University and Douglas Macgregor from Ft Pitt. We realize this is nearly 2 years away, but we need to act now to ensure a successful event.
There are no fees for reenactors or groups and we will provide a Saturday evening meal as well as firewood and straw if needed.
If you are interested in pariticipating or being involved PLEASE contact:
Tom Whanger
724-325-1526
t.whanger@att.net
visit our website:
www.PlumHistory.orgcoming soon
www.WashingtonsEncampment2008.org
