National Park Service begins combined promotion of western Pennsylvania parks
From the first battle of the French and Indian War at Fort Necessity in Farmington to the memory of those who died fighting off terrorists on Flight 93 in Shanksville, the national parks in western Pennsylvania tell amazing stories about life in America.
“There’re almost 300 years of history,” said MaryEllen Snyder, management assistant to the superintendent of Western Pennsylvania National Parks. “We start in the 1700s and continue to Flight 93. We can see the development of our nation.”
The National Park Service wants people to recognize the individual value of these special places as it starts a combined promotion of its five parks in western Pennsylvania: Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Springhill Township, both in Fayette County; along with the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, and Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial, both in Cambria County.
“We are going to begin an effort to let people in the region and visitors know of the many special events taking place across the five parks, and each month highlight one signature event throughout the summer,” said Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of the Western Pennsylvania National Parks.
They will begin today at Johnstown Flood National Memorial when the park service commemorates the 124th anniversary of the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and admission is free. Activities include the lighting of 2,209 luminarias — one for each person who died in the flood — from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Allegheny Portage Railroad Day will be held June 29 at Allegheny Portage Railroad demonstrating skills and daily activities of the 1830s and 1840s at the park that commemorates the first direct link between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Activities will include a recreated workers’ encampment and Junior Ranger Day with a special archaeology activity.
Fort Necessity will observe the 150th anniversary of Pontiac’s Rebellion on July 20-21 by telling the story of Chief Pontiac, who led a rebellion of many tribes against the British and colonists after the French and Indian War. Visitors will tour an encampment of warriors and British soldiers and watch historic weapons demonstrations.
Flight 93 will conduct the 12th commemoration of the tragic events of 2001 at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 11 with a reading of the names of passengers and crew and a nighttime display of luminaries at the Wall of Names at sundown until the park closes at 9 p.m.
Friendship Hill will offer FestiFall and Market Fair on Sept. 20-21, co-sponsored by the Friendship Hill Association and the National Park Service. The free event celebrates the life and times of Albert Gallatin, who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Besides press releases to the media, the National Park Service is promoting the connection on the individual websites for the parks, which have a features segment on their homepages that includes “Explore the National Parks of Western PA.” Clicking on that section opens a page that provides information on each of the sister parks as well as a special events icon that is located on the right side for the parks. Readers can also click on the “Learn more” section of any of the parks on the “Explore” page to be directed to that individual park’s homepage.
In addition, the friends group of Flight 93 secured a grant through the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor to place signage at each park to call attention to the other national parks in western Pennsylvania.
Snyder said people who visit one park may not be aware how close they are to another. The park service wants people to have a seamless experience when visiting the region.
The promotion is also hoped to be an economic benefit to the entire region, which has seen an influx of tourists in recent years to Flight 93 Memorial.
“We have 320,000 visitors and 1,200 buses a year coming to Flight 93,” said Reinbold, noting this is the largest number of visitors at any of the five national parks in western Pennsylvania. “This is a great opportunity to let them know about other events throughout the region and hopefully encourages them to stay longer in western Pennsylvania.”
Reinbold also pointed out that special events at the parks are actually community events and rely on local volunteers and partners.
He said, “They’re not only good for people outside the area, but they allow local people to reconnect with the parks and be part of these events.”