On the weekend of June 25-27, the Fort Loudon Historical Society had their annual 18th Century market fair. I believe that this was the third such event for this group and was, by all accounts, the largest. This was due in no small part to the canceling of the much larger Fort Frederick event earlier in the spring.
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The history of the fort also includes the story of James Smith and his Black Boys (painted up as Shawnee warriors) who stopped British traders from selling guns to the Indians and later, when the Crown forces arrested some of the members of the group and held them in the fort, Smith and his group besieged the fort until the British garrison released his friends. These events were dramatized in the 1939 John Wayne movie, Allegheny Uprising.
Several WVRA members attended: Linda and myself as well as Ron and Debbie Wenig. We also ran into Bill Schneider and his wife, Heather, who greatly assist in the Pricketts Fort School of the Longhunter.
There were about 50 or so sutlers at the event and a much larger number of blanket sales in the reenactor camping area. There was period entertainment and various speakers on historical subjects. There were ample opportunities to spend money!
Overall, this was a nice replacement for Fort Frederick, albeit smaller, but quite enjoyable. There is a good chance we may go again, but hopefully, Fort Frederick will be out from under oppressive Covid restrictions by then. (It is an outdoor event) Maybe we will see you there!
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