If you’ve ever watched the honor guard in a presidential funeral or ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, you’ve had a glimpse of history that began at Fort McIntosh in Beaver.
Garrison Day on Saturday and Fort McIntosh Day on Sept. 18 recall the late 1700s Colonial fort where the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment first mustered. Traditionally known as The Old Guard, the regiment is the Army's official ceremonial unit and escort to the U.S. president. It is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army.
Saturday is the 42nd Beaver Area Heritage Foundation Garrison Day Show and Sale in Irvine, Quay and McIntosh parks in Beaver. More than 300 food and crafts vendors are expected for the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. after a one-year pandemic absence.
Uniformed re-enactors will be part of a Fort McIntosh Day program the Beaver Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation will sponsor Sept. 18 at the site of the fort named for Gen. Lachlan McIntosh. Built on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River on what is now River Road, the site and museum several blocks away are maintained by the foundation.
William Story of the Army's Center of Military History in Washington, D.C. said the 3rd Infantry Regiment traces its lineage to the First Regiment, which was established in June 1784 by the Continental Congress. Its mission was to guard commissioners negotiating treaties with Native American nations and guard the frontier. Fort McIntosh, which was in service from 1778 to 1788, was strategically important because of its Ohio River location downstream from Fort Pitt. Its soldiers became the 3rd Regiment after the War of 1812.
In 1974, local archaeologists assisted by the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh began excavations to locate remnants of the fort. The dig lasted four years and turned up more than 80,000 artifacts. Among the finds were stone footers marking the fort’s walls and fireplaces, which remain.
Restoration was completed in 1978. Army Gen. William Westmoreland helped dedicate the site on the 200th anniversary of the fort's original construction. Garrison Day was launched two years later to raise money for items needed at the site.
The Old Guard has made four visits to Beaver, most recently in 2011, when it dedicated a new monument at the fort. Beautifully landscaped, the site includes granite monuments and bronze plaques.
Sgt. William Parks, 35, of Williamsburg, Va., a fifer with The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps for 12 years, has grown to love the history of the 3rd regiment after earning a bachelor's degree in history from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. He said the regiment’s return to its birthplace recalls its importance.
“The Old Guard serves as a reminder of the Army's rich heritage, and that history has its beginning at Fort McIntosh,” he said. “I love my job and appreciate the different specialty platoons telling different aspects of that history, as well as the soldiers (who) lay men and women to rest and guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“When we return, we pay homage to the soldiers who began our rich traditions. Personally, I feel a debt to them and the standards they created, which still exist today.”
Beaver Area Heritage Foundation board member Midge Sefton feels that same sense of history on Garrison Day, which she said “has brought so many people to our little village who never knew we existed.” Sefton, 79, of Beaver, said it has become a sentimental journey for her to walk the sidewalks of the three parks each year, “remembering how we got to this place and the dedicated people who made it happen.”
Carrie Ondrusek, 37, of Beaver, a foundation board member, said she is thrilled to take over as Garrison Day coordinator. The event is normally held in June but was moved to September because of the pandemic.
Gail Littell, 78, of Brighton, who sold homemade fudge at the event for years, said she made many friends by taking part in Garrison Day.
Debbie Moffett, 70, of Monaca, said she has gone to Garrison Day since it began in 1980. After its one-year hiatus, she’s looking forward to Saturday’s show and sale. “I see people I haven't seen for a while.”
For more information on Garrison Day, go to beaverheritage.org. For more on Fort McIntosh Day, go to the Beaver County Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation’s website, bchrlf.org.
Karen Kadilak is a freelance writer. Send queries or comments to editor Kevin Kirkland: kkirkland@post-gazette.com.
First Published: September 1, 2021, 10:15 a.m.
Updated: September 1, 2021, 10:26 a.m.
