The Siege of 1777 at Logan’s Fort a success
Published 12:41 pm Thursday, May 23, 2019
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STANFORD— Despite a rocky start to the weekend weatherwise, the fourth annual Siege of 1777 at Logan’s Fort Reenactment was a success.
Every year since its inception, the historic reenactment has been a wet event, with continual rainfall – often torrential – looming over the four-day event and forcing many cancellations. The 2019 event was different.
While reenactors had to flee their encampments Thursday night for the security of the Logan’s Fort cabins as severe thunderstorms accompanied by gusting winds threatened the campsites, the rest of the week saw plenty of sunshine and no event cancellations.
“A little bit of rain, a little bit of wind. Other than that, it was the best weather we’ve ever had,” said Peggy Denham, a member of the Friends of the Fort Foundation, which coordinated the event. “It really made a difference to get by without a monsoon.”
The historic reenactment drew approximately 80 reenactors representing 34 cities in Kentucky, four other states – Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee – and one foreign country, Belgium.
Approximately 200 visitors took in the weekend activities, and that doesn’t include the dozens that participated in the annual T.J. Hill IV History Walk on Thursday and the hundreds of Lincoln County Middle School students who toured the fort Friday and other children who were admitted free.
“We were very pleased (with turnout). Everyone seemed to have a really good time so we were really happy,” Denham said. “I think it was one of the smoothest we’ve ever had. This is the fourth year so we’re getting better every time. It gets easier every year.”
Logan’s Fort served as the backdrop for Friday-Sunday events. Approximately 300 LCMS students got a special tour of the fort and the frontier merchants village, living history demonstrations, settler and Native American encampments and the exhibit in the Whitley cabin of William Whitley’s rifle and gunpowder horn. They also got to tour two new cabins at the fort, the Menifee and Pettit cabins.
A dusk battle was held Friday evening and, on Saturday, the camp came alive with historic speakers, hatchet throwing demonstrations, tractor/horse and wagon rides and then the booming of rifles filled the air as the reenactment of the 1777 Siege at Logan’s Fort began.
The weekend came to a close on Sunday morning with an 18th century church service.
