Happy 250th Wedding Anniversary, Daniel and Rebecca

Happy 250th Wedding Anniversary, Daniel and Rebecca

So, how often do we get to celebrate a 250th wedding anniversary? Well, this year, 2006, we have that chance. Daniel Boone and Rebecca Bryan were married on August 14, 1756 on Bear Creek, just two miles west of today's Mocksville, North Carolina.

To celebrate this event, nine communities in northwest North Carolina from Winston-Salem to Salisbury to Wilkesboro to Boone are hosting events in 2006 to honor America' pioneer hero family. You can read about all the events at www.danielboonefootsteps.com . You'll learn there to about a special souvenir commemorative program in which celebrants can collect stickers from each of the Boone sites they visit in 2006. A special set of stickers is available by mail for those who want to participate but may live too far away.

Events began in April and continue into October. Activities include reenactments, festivals, a history fair, an original musical about the courtship of Daniel and Rebecca, encampments of frontier rangers, music, food, storytelling, dancing, and of course a wedding frolic complete with a "pig pickin'. "

I hope everyone who appreciates America's pioneer heritage will use this opportunity to celebrate and to share with a new generation a remarkable part of America's story. Remember, we are always only one generation away from losing a connetion with our heritage. Learn it, celebrate it, pass it on.

Happy 250th Anniversary, Daniel and Rebecca!

Independence Celebration at Historic Bethabara Park

On Sunday, July 3, 2005 I will join a host of celebrants from the community at Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I will be telling stories of the life of Daniel Boone and maybe another tale or two, we'll see.

Bethabara was established in 1753, a year or so after Daniel Boone and his parents moved to the Forks of the Yadkin area (today's Davie County.) When Daniel's older bother Israel took ill with consumption, Sarah Boone (Israel's mother) and probably Daniel carried him to the Moravian doctor at Bethabara in 1755. Israel stayed there two weeks, but succumbed to his illness and died. The ruins of the doctor's laboratory are viewable today at Historic Bethabara Park. The park also displays the reconstructed stockade which the Moravians erected in only 18 days during the Cherokee War of the late 1750's.

If you are in the area, drop by, hear a story, and pick up the book which I will gladly autograph for you.

Your most humble and obedient servant.

Sharing the View

Following the footsteps
During 2004 I had the privilege of visiting sites all across the eastern US where the life of Daniel Boone is commemorated by markers, monuments, plaques, historic homes, or replica forts. I compiled these sites--and the stories of Boone's life associated with each--into the book, In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone. (www.danielboonefootsteps.com) Both history buffs and Boone scholars have praised the work. I am flattered and honored. The book is informative and entertaining; it has detail but doesn't burden the reader with historic minutiae.

I enjoyed a book tour arranged by my publisher, John F. Blair, Publisher (www.blairpub.com) It took me to Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and, of course, Kentucky. The book has been well received and I am thrilled to continue meeting folks every day who are interested in Daniel Boone or, in some cases, are related to him.

See the sites from the comfort of home.
And now I am pleased to offer them all something beyond just the book. I created a companion DVD, On the Trail of Daniel Boone. In includes over 800 color photos which I took while visiting the 85 sites. Now with the click of remote control and from the comfort of your own home, you can see all 85 sites from Pennsylvania to Missouri and from Michigan to Florida. (Yes, Daniel Boone was in Florida!) The pictures are accompanied with music and narration. You can see them in any order to you want; it's interactive. Includes GPS data for all the sites.

If you want to know more right away, visit www.danielboonefootsteps.com . I'll be sharing a little about some of the sites in this blog. I hope you enjoy following Boone footsteps and discovering Boone's America.

I remain, your most humble and obedient servant.

Seige at Anderson Blockhouse

On Saturday, June 18, 2005, I will join some pholks at Natural Tunnel State Park in Scott Co., Virginia for a celebration called "Seige at Anderson Blockhouse." Descendants of pioneers who "forted" at the Blockhouse during their migration west will attend. This site is on the official Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail. The event is being hosted by the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association.

The replica blockhouse was completed last year, I think. A marker at the site of the original Anderson Blockhouse is described on page 43 of In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone. Settlers who gathered there were planning to move west through Cumberland Gap. They would wait for others to gather because more settlers meant more guns for protection. These settlers were migrating at a time when Dragging Canoe, the Cherokee warrior/chief, was attacking settlers whom he regarded as invaders of his native hunting lands. He did not sign the Transylvania Purchase and did not agree with his fellow Cherokee that welcoming the settlers into what became Kentucky was such a great idea.

The Seige at the Blockhouse will have activities for the family, storytellers, reenactors, and a whole lot more. I will post some pictures when I get back.