For immediate release
Fredericksburg, TX – Fort Martin Scott will be holding a 175th Anniversary living history event on Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9, 2024. Entry to the event is free but donations are welcome.
On Friday, March 8, beginning at 4 p.m., a ceremony will be held on the fort’s parade ground to commemorate the arrival of the 8th Regiment of U.S. Infantry on that date in 1849. It will include musical presentations by Fredericksburg’s two German choirs, the Hermanssöhne Gemischter Choir and the Arion Männerchor, the unveiling of a memorial stone to the soldiers who died while serving at the fort and were buried in the post cemetery, recognition of the new interpretive markers around the fort, and the gift to the City of Fredericksburg of accurate reproductions of the regimental colors carried by the 8th Infantry when the fort was their headquarters. The U.S. Army Medical Museum from Fort Sam Houston will set up a reproduction of an 1850s field hospital near where the post hospital was located. At sunset, after visitors have had an opportunity to look around the fort, there will be a military retreat ceremony as the 30-star flag that would have flown over the fort is lowered. Then there will be a free concert under the stars, presented by the U.S. Army concert band from Fort Sam Houston.
On Saturday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., living historians from the Frontier History Company and other Texas Forts will be on location celebrating life on the frontier and at the fort throughout the 1800s. The growth of Fredericksburg along with the military through the western part of Texas from 1848 through 1900 will be depicted. Soldiers from various periods in the 1800s will be interpreting their time periods of military history. Life of the 1800s will also be interpreted through activities such as spinning, weaving, and quilt making.
Camps will be set up around the parade ground. During the day, there will be cannon firings, small arms demonstrations, and other frontier life skills for the whole family to enjoy. Food trucks will also be on site selling refreshments.
Cannon and weapon demonstrations will be held at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Fort Martin Scott is located at 1606 E. Main Street. The grounds are open Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the City of Fredericksburg at (830) 997-7521.
For More Information Contact:
Andrea Schmidt
Parks & Recreation Director, City of Fredericksburg
aschmidt@fbgtx.org