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Residents from around the Tri-State Area will get the chance to take a step back in time this weekend when Ohio Valley Frontier Days returns to Historic Fort Steuben.
As in years past, visitors on Saturday and Sunday will have the chance to experience what life was like in the late 1770s. There will be re-enactors, crafters, vendors, musicians and archaeologists. There also will be something new -- the festival will include the ribbon-cutting to officially open the Museum of Surveying at the Fort.
Developed through the efforts of the fort, the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio and the University of Akron, the museum will trace the history of surveying from the ropes and measuring sticks used by the Egyptians to the drones and GPS units that are commonplace in the world we live in.
It's fitting that the re-creation of Fort Steuben was selected as the location for the museum -- the original structure was built in 1786 to house soldiers who were assigned to protect the surveyors who were assigned to map the wilderness of what was then the Ohio Country, a part of the Seven Ranges of the Northwest Territory.
Those who attend this weekend's festival will be able to learn about the chain and compass those early surveyors used to complete their task.
They also will be able to meet a flintknapper, a blacksmith, a candlemaker and a broommaker; tour the officer's and men's quarters, the quartermaster's store, the commissary and hospital at the fort; and look out from the upper level of the guard house. There will be the chance to throw a tomahawk; learn musket skills from members of the 1st American Regiment; drill with Baron von Steuben; and meet with archaeologists from the Franciscan University of Steubenville who continue to explore at the site.
There will be the chance to enjoy music and talk with representatives from the Sons of the American Revolution and Ohio Genealogical Society.
Admission will be $7 for adults and $3 for children between the ages of 6 and 12 and no charge for children under 6. Special family rates are available, organizers said.
We hope area residents will attend Ohio Valley Frontier Days and spend some time at the fort -- it's one of the region's top tourist attractions and offers an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of our region's history.