The 1976 Bicentennial Reconstruction

The 1976 Bicentennial Reconstruction. Fort Roberdeau. , Follow the time line from 1925 to the present day. , Imagine a walk along the patriotic path from acknowledgement to a concept and finally the fort standing before you today., July 4, 1925 , Marker erected near site of lead mines by Colonel John Proctor Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The bronze marker was placed on a boulder set along Kettle Road. , The marker is still present today., 1939 , Site excavated to determine exact location and boundaries of fort., July 7, 1940: , First dedication and ground breaking ceremony for the restoration of Fort Roberdeau., 1940-1941 , Mr. and Mrs. E. Arthur Caum presented the deed for two acres of land on which the Fort stood, to the Blair County commissioners., Concrete foundation for the stockade placed to define the boundaries of the Fort., The entry of the United States into World War II, lack of funds, and loss of manpower ended the effort to reconstruct the Fort., May, 29, 1974: , Fort Roberdeau was added to National Register of Historic Places., July 4, 1974: , Second ground breaking ceremony for second effort to reconstruct Fort Roberdeau. One corner of the fort was constructed for the ceremony., January 15, 1975: , The officers' quarters was the first building to be constructed., April 23, 1975: , Altoona Kiwanis Club sold their 33 acre farm near Fort Roberdeau to Blair County., May 2, 1975: , At the request of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), the Blair County commissioners agreed to clean up the overgrown site of Fort Roberdeau with the idea of making the Fort a historical tourist attraction in time for the 1976 Bicentennial., July 7, 1975: , A program was held at Fort Roberdeau to kick off the second reconstruction effort as the county's Bicentennial project., July 4, 1975: , Blair County officially opened the Bicentennial year with a Fourth of July celebration at Fort Roberdeau., July 3, 1976: , Fort Roberdeau opened for public visitation., July 5, 1976: , Fort Roberdeau dedication., July 4, 2016 , 40th Anniversary of the dedication of Fort Roberdeau in 1976., Fun Fact , In 1939, the only parts remaining visible above the ground were the powder magazine walls and a large square of masonry work which was probably a part of the smelting plant., [Photo captions, by date, read] , December 10, 1955 , Charles Frederick and his daughter, Alice May, look at the site of the lead smelter near Fort Roberdeau. The smelter, located on the former Fredericks farm, processed lead ore mined nearby into ingots of 50 pounds each, which were transported by mule back east for use by the soldiers of the [C]ontinental [A]rmy., April 25, 1975 , CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN on the officers' quarters at the Ft. Roberdeau site in Sinking Valley. The contractor began notching and placing the logs early last week. The officers' quarters will be the first section of the fort to be reconstructed, with other buildings and the stockade walls to follow later as funds are provided., April 30, 1975 , THE RESTORATION of Fort Roberdeau has started, and a group of about 40 persons interested in the project gathered at the site in Sinking Valley yesterday to kick off a $100,000 campaign drive. The fort's restoration is the county's top priority Bicentennial project. It is hoped that it can be reconstructed by July 4, 1976. The chairman of the restoration committee, Eugene G. Hamill, suggested that residents of Blair "buy a log" for the fort. The committee already has purchased enough logs to put up the first building, the officers' barracks., April 30, 1975 , ERNEST GROVE, former employe [sic] of the Williamsburg Paper Mill and a carpenter, stands beside the officers' barracks at Ft. Roberdeau and watches officials kick off the campaign drive. Mr. Grove is in charge of reconstruction. He and three other men in recent weeks have been hewing logs and building the walls of the barracks., April 30, 1975 , OFFICIALS of the Ft. Roberdeau Restoration Committee, Bicentennial Commission and Kiwanis Club listen to Eugene G. Hamill, chairman of the committee, urge citizens of Blair to finance a log. The officials inspected the fort site and 33-acre Kiwanis Health Farm which will be sold to the county. The farm and fort will be joined into a county park. At ceremonies yesterday were (from lef[t]): Robert Lauver, director of the bicentennial office; Col. Lloyd M. Morris of the restoration committee, Commissioner John W. Gardner, Frank Marsh of the Kiwanis Club, Commissioner Colson E. Jones, Elmer Reed and Rev. Brumbaugh of the restoration committee and the Rev. James Plunkett of Altoona, chairman of the campaign drive., July 3, 1975 , PREPARING FOR PROGRAM at Ft. Roberdeau tomorrow are (left to right): Robert Warsing, Blair County grants coordinator; County Commissioners Edward J. Flanagan and Colson E. Jones, inspecting the halyard [?] from which the 13-star Colonial flag [that will fly?] the first time tomorrow., July 5, 1975 , THE BICENTENNIAL of the nation's independence began yesterday for Blair County as the field battery of the Tuckahoe Valley Militia fired 13 times across a cornfield to the rear of Ft. Roberdeau in Sinking Valley. The Bicentennial salute to the nation's independence was underway. The Revolutionary War cannon began the nation's 200th year with a deafening roar before more than 400 persons visiting Ft. Roberdeau.