Frontier history to come alive
By Kathy Thomson
Staff members at Fort Griffin State Historic Site are setting up additional outdoor displays in preparation for the fort’s annual Living History Days, scheduled to take place this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12.
Friday is geared primarily toward students from the Big Country area, while Saturday is designed more for the general public. On both days dozens of reenactors will portray day-to-day life in the real Old West.
“We have a good mix of schools coming this year,” said program specialist Eric Abercrombie. “Quite possibly we will have the most home schools we’ve ever had, and they are coming from several towns including Graham, Abilene, Merkel, and Stamford,”
He added that home school students make up about 10 percent of the total number of pupils that are preregistered for the event this year.
Nancy Smith Elementary first, second, third, and fifth grade classes are planning to head to the fort on Friday, Oct. 11.
“This year’s Fort Griffin Living History Days are free for everyone, not just students,” said site manager Mitch Baird. “We are waiving the usual park admission fee this Friday and Saturday.”
Teachers, home school parents, and school administrators wishing to have their students attend the 2019 program are asked to contact Eric Abercrombie at 325-762-3592.
“Public and private schools that have said they are coming include Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, Abilene Christian School, Garner Junior High, Cisco Junior High, Munday Elementary, Anson Elementary, Nancy Smith Elementary (with 120 students), St. John’s Episcopal, Moran Elementary, Buffalo Gap Elementary, Studio 1 HRC Abilene, and Merkel Middle School,” said Abercrombie. “We’re expecting approximately 600 students and 100 teachers/chaperones on Friday.”
Although rain is in the forecast on Thursday, as of press time the weather this weekend was expected to be fairly cool and dry, with any rain moving out of the area by midmorning on Friday.
Event Info
The event begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. on both Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12, with school groups scheduled to arriving starting at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. Food trucks will not be at the event this year.
The past will come to life at the fort as living historians gather to portray everyday life at Fort Griffin and the nearby Wild West town as it was in the 1870s.
“It should be a good event if the weather will cooperate,” said Abercrombie. “We will have a similar turnout of living historians as years past.”
Abercrombie said that he is expecting 70 or so reenactors/living historian volunteers on both Friday and Saturday.
Some of the groups who are anticipated include the U.S. Army Camel Experiment, the State of Texas Longhorn Herd, military portrayals from multiple time periods, including the Dragoons, 2nd Cavalry, 4th Cavalry, Buffalo Soldiers, 11th Infantry, and the Spanish American War era, and six artillery pieces and a large number of artillerymen for the artillery demonstrations, according to the program specialist.
“And there will be the usual live music performed by Time Was..., period children’s games, frontier living, Drummer Boy Ice Cream, lead bullet making, and various frontier food-ways,” he added.
According to Baird, the goal of the living history event is for visitors to leave with a greater understanding and passion for history.
The Fort
Fort Griffin’s ruins and reconstructed structures include a mess hall, barracks, first sergeant’s quarters, bakery, powder magazine, and hand-dug well.
During its military commission days, Fort Griffin provided a source of stability and safety for an emerging community and was home to more than 465 soldiers, officers, their families, and civilians.
The park is located at on U.S. Hwy. 283, just over 14 miles north of Albany.
To check for camp site availability or for more information about Living History Days, call 325-762-3592.
