Schedule | Directions | Contacts | Registration
History
Fort Hand was built and garrisoned in the Fall of 1777 by Continental Regulars,
under the orders of Gen. Hand at Fort Pitt. It was built near the McKibben house,
used by the local inhabitants as a refuge from Indian attack, approximately
three and one half miles from the Kiskiminetas River. Capt. Samuel Morehead
and his Independent Coy. of Pa. regulars were the troops at the fort, and became
part of the 8th Pennsylvania Regt. July 1778. In 1777, other that Fort Pitt,
Fort Randolph and Fort Hand were the only posts built by Congress west of the
Alleghenies. On April 26th, 1779, Fort Hand was attacked by a large party of
Indians and whites, and although Capt. Morehead had only 17 soldiers in the
fort, they successfully defended the post for more that a day, till the attackers
retired. The Congressionals suffered three wounded, one of who died shortly
after of his wound. The same party of Indians then attacked the village of Ligonier
on the 27th. A company of forty men from Fort Pitt unsuccessfully attempted
to intercept the hostiles.
After Fort Crawford was built, and a fort at Kittanning, Fort Hand was no longer as important since the frontier was moved west. Fort Hand continued to be used and at times garrisoned by the militia, and it became a station rather that a fort.
Modern Day
The D.A.R. erected a large stone marker at the supposed location of one of the
fort’s corners, and a building still stands on the site of the McKibben
house, incorporating the original structure. (The present house is contemporary
in appearance). Across the street is the site of our event at Kunkle Park. This
isa park of about 40 acres, with ball fields, tennis courts, swing sets, etc.
. . It also has modern restrooms and two pavilions we can use if the weather
dictates. The local police station is next to the park. We have plenty of nice
flat ground for our camp(s) and parade and demo area. There is a very large
section of the park, about 20 acres, that has an open woods, open slopes, a
ravine, and lots of good terrain for our TWDs.
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NWD Unit Cmdrs The planning and arrangements for our event at Fort Hand are coming along nicely, and it is shaping up to be a very good event. I wanted to inform you of the meal situation so that you can let your unit members know. The Sat. evening meal will be provided, but you & your folks will do your own cooking for it. Julie Watkins, NWD CCS, says the ration will consist of meat (probably sausage), vegetables, and bread, and that a single pot or dutch oven will do the trick. We are encouraging you to cook in unit messes rather that individually, since it will be an easy meal to prepare.
All the school districts of the county have been notified, as has the local Boy Scout Council, so we expect many spectators. Some of the Scouts will actually be camping in the park. I hope you will pass this info on to your unit members, and we'll see you at the event, April 18-19.
Directions:
Kunkle Park is about six miles off the Monroeville exit of the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, northeast of Pittsburgh. Between the turnpike and the event site are
lots of fast food and resturants, and hotel opportunites are at the Turnpike
exit. (exit 57).
The address of the park is;
Kunkle Park
285 Pine Run church Rd.
Apollo, Pa. 15613
The NWD is sponsoring the event, with lots of help from some local folks, especially Mr. Rob Malley.
Food
The NWD will supply food for Saturday evening’s meal, but you should be
prepared to cook it. Please birng your eating and cooking gear. You will be
On Your Own for all other meals. There may be concession
stand open in the park for the spectators and if so, you might be able to get
a light lunch there. Unit cooking demos would be great.
Activities
We will do our regular set of demos, and we hope to be able to do a remembrance
ceremony at the fort marker, if we get permission. We will not attempt to reenact
the the attack on the fort, since there is no fort and we don’t have a
large group of Natives. We will be able to do some very interesting tacticals
due to the nice field we have.
Arrival
You may arrive anytime after noon fon Friday, the 17th. The camp(s) will be
laid out by 5:00 Pm.
I hope you will plan to attend this important original site. It’s hard to believe that there has never been a B.A.R. event at this site, especially since it was in existence much longer that Fort Laurens. The NWD has invited several local, non-affiliated Rev. War groups to this event, and those that will be attending have agreed to follow our rules for safety and authenticity. Don’t miss this one.
Registration:
Please fill out the registraion form and send it to Bob Cairns
Attack
on Fort Hand Registration - word file
Event
Contact:
Bob Cairns, (330) 455-9722 or robtcairns@cs.com