N.M. Historical Society Presents 'The Siege of Fort Wayne'
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NORTH MANCHESTER – Feb. 13 at 6:40 p.m., the North Manchester Historical Society will present a program on the Siege of Fort Wayne, a dramatic and decisive incident in the War of 1812 that happened in our backyard.
In September 1812, Native Americans attacked Fort Wayne. At that time, forts in Dearborn, Chicago and Michilimackinac had fallen to their British allies. Fort Wayne was the only remaining American fort in the Northwest Territory. The Native Americans were waiting for British reinforcements to arrive from Detroit, and the American defenders were waiting for troops led by William Henry Harrison to arrive from Kentucky. The conflict promised to be the largest battle in the Northwest Territory.
The program will be presented by Norman Gable and Sean O’Brien. Both are on the board of Historic Fort Wayne Inc., the group that restored the fort and provides historic programs there.
Gable presented an excellent program for the North Manchester High School last year on the history of blacksmithing, an art he practices in Historic Fort Wayne reenactments.
According to President Mary Chrastil, “It was one of the most interesting and informative programs we had all year. Norm is a natural teacher and storyteller.”
O’Brien is a seasoned reenacter, and has been a cast member in two History Channel shows, a PBS special, and the feature film The Patriot. He is a student of the Old Northwest Territory, especially the impact of the Fort Wayne fort. Gable and O’Brien have presented this program at the Kalamazoo Living History Show and the Mississinewa Battlefield Society.
The public is invited to come also at 6 p.m. to the Assembly Room at Timbercrest for a meal prior to the meeting. For those who wish to attend, reservations must be made no later than noon Friday. The cost of the meal is $7.50. Reservations may be made by calling Mary at 260-982-1813 or Evelyn at 260-982-6777. There is no cost for the program, which is free to the public.
