Published: October 12, 2008 10:25 pm            

Fort’s Fall Festival gives taste of history

PRICKETTS FORT — It was a sunny, fall day at Pricketts Fort when the silence was shattered by war whoops and sporadic gunfire as the attack was on.

Fall Festival was held this weekend at the local state park, and a re-enactment of a skirmish between Native Americans and settlers was staged. Five re-enactors stormed the forts grounds, taking a female captive during the skirmish. The captive was then taken back to the “Indian village” where she was ransomed to the settlers.

“I really enjoyed watching the American Indians,” said Melissa May, executive director of Pricketts Fort.

This is the second year the Fall Festival has been held at the fort, May said. This year is the first time the American Indian re-enactors have been brought in, she said. However, the fort does have a Native American actor on staff.

This is also the first year blacksmithing activities have been added to the festival,

May said. The Bray Blacksmith Shop was dedicated on Saturday. The shop is staffed by Greg Bray, who gave presentations to visitors throughout both days at the festival.

On Saturday, six blacksmiths worked on a project at the shop. According to Bray, the blacksmiths worked on an English broiler, a piece of kitchen equipment that would have been used to cook meat.

On Sunday, Bray continued to work on the project, putting on the finishing touches. He also explained the craft and the life of a blacksmith to the passersby.

Bray explained that there were not a whole lot of blacksmiths living on the frontier. He pointed out that blacksmiths, who would have belonged to the middle class at the time, would have been able to make more money working in large cities along the East Coast or by following the army in the field.

Blacksmithing and Native American attacks were not the only activities held at the event. Re-enactors were also on hand making apple butter and rendering bear fat. Demonstrations were also given in candle and soap making.

May said she believed the Fall Festival at Pricketts Fort was a great success. She added that approximately 300 people attended the event on Saturday.

“I would like to see this event built up even further,” May said.

Ruben Avagyan, an industrial engineering student at West Virginia University, who is a native of Armenia, traveled to the fort for the first time to attend the Fall Festival. Avagyan brought his two children and his wife with him.

“It has been very interesting,” Avagyan said. “I was very surprised when we were told that the Indians’ captives weren’t killed and would be adopted into the tribe.”

Avagyan said he was also interested in touring the interior of the fort.

Edna Dillon was also attending her first festival at the fort. The native of Grant Town who taught at WVU until she retired said she was enjoying the demonstrations at the festival.

“I think it’s just been excellent,” she said. “I especially enjoyed the narratives about how the natives lived.

“It gives us a true picture of how things were back then,” Dillon added.

E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.

        

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