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Like all historic sites that hold re-enactments, it is the history of the site that makes the event. And the history of the fort at Point Pleasant lends itself perfectly to an outdoor drama. And unlike some events that pivot on a single happening - the re-enactment at Fort Randolph encompasses a large part of the history of the fort.
From it’s beginnings during the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1775 to the killing of Cornstalk in 1777, the staff at Fort Randolph does an excellent job of pacing the drama along the timeline of the fort’s short lived history. It was six months after the murder of Cornstalk, in May of 1778 that the Shawnee Indians gathered together, some 300 strong, outside the fort in retaliation. This is the battle scenario that draws the public to return year after year. But they are also given a good dose of history in the process. The narration explains how Cornstalk’s sister Nonhelema and other natives tried to keep the fragile peace in the area. It shows the occupants of the fort going about their daily lives - mustering the troops, sending a group outside the fort walls to plant , all the while being guarded by settlers with rifles.
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