Black Boys Rebellion — 250 years in the making

FORT LOUDON >> The southern and eastern part of Pennsylvania is no stranger to bearing witness to some of the most historic moments in our country's history — Gettysburg, Valley Forge and Philadelphia to name a few that hosted history-making occasions.

But many might not know that Chambersburg played a small part in the grand scheme of developing this nation. Fort Loudon, which sits west of Chambersburg, was the site of the Black Boys Rebellion — in which British soldiers and a ragtag team of Pennsylvanians waged a war over the trade of weapons and supplies to the Native Americans during an eight-month span.

Now 250 years after the first shots were fired, Franklin County is paying tribute to the actions of men who strove to protect their family and friends in this area.

According to Larry Gorecki, the tribute this weekend will "give the public a true idea of the sequence of events in 1765." The weekend begins with school children visiting from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25.

That evening, the public is welcome to visit an open house in the Patton House, where they can view artifacts on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, starting at 6 p.m. A lecture from Steven Warfel entitled "The Archaeological Digging of the Fort Loudoun Site" will follow at 7 p.m.

Saturday's schedule consists of re-enactments of prisoner rescues and skirmishes and battles between Black Boys and the British, all documenting the events between March and November of 1765. Sunday begins with a 9:30 a.m. church service done in 18th century fashion. Following the service, visitors can take a walk in the woods and finally, the weekend culminates with a re-enactment of the British leaving for Fort Pitt.

In addition to the battle aspect of the time period, visitors will also be able to experience what life on the frontier was like, and be able to take tours of the fort and meet the actors for the weekend.

For additional information or for the full list of events, go to www.rebellion1765.weebly.com or contact Andy Newman at anewman45@hotmail.com or Larry Gorecki at associator1756@comcast.net.