Frontier history to come alive this weekend

By Sam Waller

Fort Griffin State Historic Site will provide a look into the fort’s past with its Living History Days on Friday and Saturday.

Site manager Mitch Baird said about 80 reenactors are expected to take part in the event with more than 600 school children expected for Friday’s School Day.

The event is returning after being put on hiatus last year because of COVID-19 concerns.

“We were a little concerned that we would have a whole lot more reenactors because they haven’t been able to do much in the last year,” Baird said. “We were also worried that the schools wouldn’t want to do anything, but the numbers are looking good.”

Baird said precautions are being taken for this year’s event.

“We are setting up the camps with about twice as much space in between them so we won’t be bunching up the reenactors,” Baird said. “We’ll give the kids plenty of room so they can socially distance.”

Students from Abilene, Albany, Breckenridge, Cisco, Clyde, Eula, Haskell, Hawley, Moran, Olney, and Ranger are expected to attend.

“We have a bunch of home-school groups coming over from Abilene,” Baird said. “We’re going to have quite a few schools from lots of different counties.”

Baird said the public is welcome on both days, though Friday is geared primarily for students.

Among the event’s attractions are such holdovers as the site’s Texas Longhorn herd, camel corps, artillery crews, and settlers as well as several new items.

“This year for the first time, we’ll have cavalry from Fort Hood,” Baird said.

Other new features include a dulcimer band and loom demonstrations.

“We’ve got some folks who’ll be interpreting Native American history,” Baird said. “There will be corn and cooking demonstrations.”

Event Info

The event begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. each day. Baird said the main gate will be propped open to allow for better traffic flow upon exiting.

There are plans to have food vendors on site this year to provide snack and lunch options.

Baird said the goal of the event is to provide visitors a greater understanding and passion for history.

He added that some areas have been declared off-limits to visitors because of ongoing restoration work.

“We are in the middle of stabilizing some chimneys,” he said. “There are three areas of construction going on that we need to make sure people stay out of. “

Baird said the work involves disassembling chimneys and keeping the stones for reassembly.

“All the rocks are laid out so that when the workers put the chimneys back together again, they put the rocks in the right place. They’ll repair some of the cracks and the leaning of the one big officers quarters’ chimney.”

The Fort

Fort Griffin’s ruins and reconstructed structures include a mess hall, barracks, first sergeant’s quarters, bakery, powder magazine, and a hand-dug well.

During its days as an active military post, Fort Griffin provided a source of stability and safety for an emerging community. It was home to more than 465 soldiers, officers, their families and a number of civilians.

The park is located on U.S. Highway 283 about 14 miles north of Albany.

To check for campsite availability or more information about Living History Days, call 325-762-3592.