I took a break this weekend and journeyed out on a scenic drive to the famous Oglebay Park, located in the hills just outside of Wheeling, West Virginia. Out-of-towners cringe when they see the windy road that leads to the historic estate of a one time shipping tycoon who was from Cleveland OH, but built an elaborate summer home here in the latter part of the 19th century. I love those roads, even the weeds that grow along side that make me sneeze. Mr. Oglebay’s estate was later established into a park/resort for the social elite who golf, dine, and vacation in these hills. It’s open to ALL, however, sadly quite expensive, but the sublime view and walking trails are free. The main attraction this weekend was the Fort Henry Days. The Fort Henry Days take time to depict and reenact what life was like for the early settlers of the region. Fort Henry was a safe haven for early Wheeling residents because the area was susceptible to Indian attacks. Fort Henry is also famous because it was where the last battle of American Revolution occurred. It’s referred to as the 2nd siege of Fort Henry, the first occurring in 1777; locals call it the year of the bloody sevens. Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, ordered the construction of a garrison near the Wheeling settlement, so in 1774 Fort Henry was built on the banks of the Ohio River. Fort Henry was defended by the local settlers who were responsible for the fort. On September 11, 1782 scouts located a mixed militia of Indians and Butlers Rangers (whatever they are) from Detroit across the Ohio River (on the Ohio side, Wheeling is obviously the W.V. side). 
By 3:00 p.m. 260 warriors and 40 Rangers had arrived at the Fort and demanded the immediate surrender of Fort Henry. Silas Zane, the forts leader refused and the enemy attacked. For the most part, the fort was well armed and even had in its possession a swivel gun. At midnight the Indians made an attempt to storm the fort, but they failed. Throughout the night and early morning the gun fire resumed, but Fort Henry was starting to run low on ammunition. Legend has it that 16 year old Betsy Zane made a heroic dash to a cabin located near the fort for more gun powder through enemy fire. Once in the cabin, her apron was loaded with gun powder and she made yet another dash back to the fort. The below photo shows what this moment may have looked like. 
This sounds too good to be true, and the locals love to glorify it, but from private journals and such, there appears to be truth to it. On the third day of the siege the enemy made one more attempt to take the fort, but failed. At about that time reinforcements had arrived at Fort Henry, but their help was not needed, the settlers had held off the enemy. Although forgotten by most, it was the last battle of the American Revolution. In November of 1882 an agreement was established between Britain and newly formed United States of America to end the Revolution.
The Fort Henry Days is mostly a family event for the kids. At the tents they can buy little wooden guns, swords, games; basically junk – all of which has little to do with what really happened in my opinion. I was bored by the war reeanactors tent’s, it was like a flee market. Once you’ve seen one reproduction of a wooden box, you’ve seen them all. The crowd was also filled with people who thought they knew everything about riffles, Betsy Zane, and the celebrated Fort Henry. Some did, and others were just “historians” for the day. As a future social studies 
teacher I found their conversations quite interesting. Some parents seemed to care about their children’s questions, while others made up anything that would get them quiet. Sometimes they even resorted to buying the overpriced food that was served to keep their bundles of joy hushed. This was the first time I’ve ever made any attempt to really investigate the numerous historical festivals that the Ohio Valley has to offer. Being the bachelor/lone ranger that I am, I ventured to the Fort Henry days alone. I got the annoying comments, “are you alone” – “What grade are you in?” – “Wow you’re 23, you look so young.” I must say, aside from the goofy looks that I got, (I’m not kidding about this, I thought I had a “kick me” sign on my back or something) the battle reenactment was spectacular. Yes, when the first gunshot was fired, I jumped. It took a little imagination, but I gave an extra round of applause for those who took place in the event. They deserve a lot of credit for devoting their weekend to the history of Wheeling. Even if it’s just for a day, I hope people looked past the stale pop corn and overpriced soft drinks to appreciate their towns past.
