Fort Laurens to commemorate 245th anniversary Nov. 18
On Saturday, Nov. 18, members from the Brigade of the American Revolution reenact the historic march of soldiers to the site near Bolivar where they would build Fort Laurens.
On Nov. 18, 1778, 1,200 continental soldiers fighting for independence from England arrived at a site just outside Bolivar with a mission: to build a fort that would constitute a staging area for an attack on British troops at Fort Detroit.
In partnership with the Brigade of the American Revolution, Fort Laurens Museum invites the public to a free event commemorating that day on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Starting just north of Bolivar, living historians in period dress will march to the site where they would build the fort named for Henry Laurens, then president of the Continental Congress, on the western bank of the Tuscarawas River.
Visitors can greet the soldiers as they march in at around 10 a.m. to perform a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Patriot, the final resting place for one of the soldiers who could not be identified.
Historical demonstrations on 18th-century weaponry, tools and other aspects of military camp life will take place throughout the day.
“The living historians are there to interact with the public and share the history of the park to give visitors a better understanding of what happened on that day,” said Tanner Immel, site manager of Fort Laurens. “I think it’s important for people to actually see history. We want them to recognize the conditions the soldiers faced by putting people in their shoes and taking them back to that time period and frame of mind.”
In addition to building a fort, soldiers were charged with deterring Americans allied with the British from conducting raids against settlers in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. A third purpose for the fort was to protect the area’s neutral Delaware Indians and convince them to join the American cause.
Museum tours and gift shop
The Fort Laurens Museum will be open that day with guided and self-guided tours available for $5 per person. Visitors can view a video presentation and artifacts bearing witness to the fort’s history and eventual abandonment after attacks by both British troops and local American Indian tribes, unforgivably harsh weather, and a desperate lack of food would combine to bring about the death of 30 soldiers, 21 of which are interred in the onsite cemetery.
The museum gift shop will hold a sale on commemorative merchandise from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We kind of specialize in historic books on the Revolutionary War and 18th-century life,” Immel said.
The store also sells a variety of merchandise ranging from coffee mugs and T-shirts to period toys and children’s books. “It’s a good opportunity to purchase some special holiday gifts,” Immel said.
Immel hopes those who attend will discover the importance of Fort Laurens and its place in American history.
“This is the site of an actual Revolutionary War fort built by American soldiers, approved by the Continental Congress and signed off by Gen. Washington,” he said. “It is also one of the only forts built by soldiers outside of the 13 colonies in an area that would later be referred to as a stepping stone for westward movement.”
Call Fort Laurens at 330-874-2059, visit the website at www.fortlaurensmuseum.org or find Fort Laurens on Facebook.