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.