The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association is currently looking to recruit new members with a variety of skill sets. Join members of the DBWTA and members of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center Foundation for the Dedication of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center Research Room on Sunday, May 21st at 2pm. There will be historic demonstrations, a book sale, refreshments, and DBWTA volunteer recruitment.
Dear Members and Friends of DBWTA,
It is with great disappointment and a heavy heart that I must inform you of the cancellation of all April events sponsored by the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association. This includes the April association meeting, all committee meetings, and, unfortunately, the Spring Muster planned for April 25, 26, and 27.
We have always thought of the Muster as a sort of “homecoming event” for all our re-enactor friends at the beginning of the living history event season, and for that reason, we are especially disappointed. However, we are committed to making the most responsible decisions possible, following federal, state, and DCR guidelines, to help defeat this horrible virus.
I hope we can continue to stay connected through email and social media until brighter days are with us once more.
I send prayers for good health, courage, and comfort to each and every one of you and your families as we all walk this difficult path.
God’s Peace,
Joan Short, President
Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association
Due to inclement weather the Old Christmas program has been cancelled.
The Frontier Harvest Festival will be held at the Wilderness Road Blockhouse at Natural Tunnel State Park on October 26th from 1 – 5 p.m. Come immerse yourself in the sites and sounds of late 18th century life on the frontier. Various demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the entirety of the event. There is no charge for admission and the event is child-friendly.
For more information please call 276-940-1643 or send us an email.
The Frontier Muster and Trade Faire will be held this weekend, April 27 & 28, at the Wilderness Road Blockhouse at Natural Tunnel State Park. The event times are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association has published a history of the Blockhouse that was built in 1775 on the North Fork of the Holston by John Anderson. His fortified home became a landmark along the road west, the Wilderness Road, marked by Daniel Boone that same year. Over the next thirty years, some 300,000 people passed Anderson’s home on their journey through Cumberland Gap and on into what would become the state of Kentucky, and further westward.
William L. Anderson, a direct descendant of John, has written a well-researched book that tells the story, the history of the home that became known to posterity as “The Blockhouse,” and its part in the expansion westward of our new nation. The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association is proud to offer this book that tells, for the first time in such detail, the very significant part played in our nation’s history by the pioneer settlers of the western frontier during the last quarter of the eighteenth century.
Also included in the book are many brief biographies of significant players in the story, maps, an article on Fort Blackmore, and the diary of early explorer Dr. Thomas Walker.
The book may be purchased for $19.95 at Natural Tunnel State Park at the Visitor’s Center and at the Wilderness Road Blockhouse Interpretive Center (276-940-2674) and at the law offices of Lisa Ann McConnell in Duffield. Or contact Robert E. McConnell at roberte@mounet.com or 276-452-4520
