Valley Girl Views: The History Of The Fort Freeland Society

July 1979

According to their website, the Fort Freeland Society was formed in 1978, the year of the archaeological dig at For Freeland. Newspapers tell us that the society was started in conjunction with an archaeological dig at the farm site in 1978.

The first Fort Freeland Society however, met nearly 100 years earlier, in 1880.

May 1880 Record and Star

"Fort Freeland Celebrations"

"In pursuance of public notice persons friendly to celebrating the capture of Fort Freeland and its destruction by the British and Indians in July 1779, met at the Huff House in Milton on Saturday the 1st of May 1880, at 10 am.

John M. Kirk of Watsontown was chosen president, and RH McCormick, same place vice president and JF Wolfinger, of Milton secretary. And after an interchange of opinion and some description, it was agreed as follows, to-wit:

1. That we will celebrate the history of the fall of 'Fort Freeland' in a becoming manner the 28th of July 1880.
2. That a committee of sixteen appointed to fix on the location place of holding said celebration as follows: Watsontown-Isaac Vincent, Samuel DeArmond, Jos G Durham, Jacob M Follmer, E. Everitt
Turbotville-DW Denius.
McEwensville-George W Armstrong.
Dewart-William Datesman.
Milton-LV Housel, CW Tharp, John L Watson
Lewis township-SP Gaston, Robert Montgomery, William A Dean.
Delaware township-JW Weeks, Hiram Dunkle
Said committee to report their choice of location at our next meeting.
3. That we hold an adjourned meeting at Cooner's Hotel in Watsontown Saturday the 15th of May inst. at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
4. That all of our county papers are requested to publish said proceedings.

In 1978, members of the Warrior Run School Board of Directors reached out to local communities and formed the Warrior Run-Fort Freeland Heritage Society. An archeological dig by Penn State University at the Fort Freeland site uncovered many artifacts and building details.

On July 29, 1979 a bicentennial celebration was held at Fort Freeland. Society members cleaned the exterior and interior of the Hower-Slote House, decorating the rooms with period-correct furniture. Despite the rainy first day of the first remembrance of the Battle of Fort Freeland, people stood in line to tour the Hower-Slote House and attend a commemorative service at the Warrior Run Church.

After being rejected for financial support from the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, the Society’s passion for their history and heritage led to the decision to raise the money they needed by themselves. The first Heritage Days was held the first week of October in 1982.

The Heritage Days Festival At Fort Freeland

Although the Fort Freeland Heritage Festival is reported to have officially began in 1981 the Lewis Twp Supervisors proclaimed July 29th as Fort Freeland Heritage Day, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Battle. Programs were planned to be held at the site of the Fort. There was a festival held that year.

The Fort Freeland Heritage Society also held all day workshops on basket weaving, and rural medicine, in June of 1979.

Author Robert Newton Peck visited the area in 1980, attending a reception held for him by the Fort Freeland Historical Society. He played ragtime on a piano and spoke about his childhood, and the characters in his novels. He was reported to have been considering a novel based on Fort Freeland, and is quoted as saying "It could make the site into a historic site like Gettysburg". Peck wrote nearly 100 books, but never did write about Fort Freeland.

There were 50 exhibitions at the Heritage Days event in 1984. They included blacksmithing, candle stick making, authentic pigs stomach cooking, and rug braiding.

In 1985, the organization had more than 200 volunteers. Exhibits then were much the same as what we see today: candlemaking, apple butter making, blacksmithing, cider pressing, and flax cultivation. Proceeds from Heritage Days in the early years were designated for the restoration of the Hower Slote House, with the purpose of restoring the home to it's 1829 appearance.

In 1988, the society started an orchard of old fashioned apples on the property.

Rich Nornhold, who demonstrated making linen from flax that year, told a local reporter that the society rented the 14 acre site from the school district for $1 a year, with a 40 year lease. The group had by 1988 spent more than $45,000 in renovations to the house and property.

The fort at Fort Freeland stood from 1772-1779.

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