History buffs trace Washington's path
CRANBERRY TWP — Travelers from across Western Pennsylvania followed in the first president's footsteps to the Washington's Trail 1753's 2019 summit Thursday.
The summit, titled “True Tails of the Trail,” invited regional history buffs to learn more of the path George Washington took and the people he encountered during his 1753–54 journey to and from Fort Le Boeuf in present-day Waterford, Erie County.
Speakers discussed a myriad of topics, including Seneca Queen Alliquippa, trade routes in indigenous America, and the role of wampum in Native American war, society and politics.
Martin O'Brien, founder and president of Washington's Trail, said one of the goals of the event is to raise awareness of the first president's travels through this part of the state before he was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He added that many people know of Washington's presence in Philadelphia, but not in Butler County.
“What people in Western Pennsylvania should realize is Washington crossed the Slippery Rock Creek 20 years before he crossed the Delaware,” O'Brien said.
While Washington certainly was a focus of the symposium, much of the event centered on the Native Americans he encountered and their culture.
“This conference is nice because it brings in a bunch of Native American points of view,” said Laura DeYoung, who teaches environmental education, adding these are perspectives not commonly taught in history.
Joe Stahlman, director of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, was the first speaker, talking about Native Americans who lived in Western Pennsylvania before the French and Indian War. He said he wanted to convey the complex history of native people, saying they are unfairly portrayed as one-dimensional.
Leon Briggs, a member of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, later spoke as part of a panel on wampum, beads used by Eastern Woodlands tribes in official records, letters and treaties.
Some attended to further their knowledge of the time period to help in their professional or volunteer work, such as Sandy Andrews, a docent with the Braddock Battlefield History Center. “I always hope to gain some knowledge,” Andrews said.
Others, though, went for their personal edification, like Shawn MacIntyre of Pittsburgh who said he attends conferences like the Washington's Trial summit to help expand on knowledge gained from books and other media.
Milt Ostrofsky, a retired biology professor, agreed. “This is a great opportunity to hear from people who know what they're talking about,” he said.
Dick Geyer of West Sunbury said he attended to learn more about the era and to enhance his abilities as a French and Indian War re-enactor.
Geyer added he participates in six to eight re-enactments and attends two to three symposia each year.
This one, he said, gave him a chance to learn “the real Washington.”
