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BEVERLY -- A special presentation during Beverly Heritage Day will illustrate the complicated relationships between pioneers on the Virginia frontier, and the Indigenous people who had long called this land home.
Beverly Heritage Day – Centuries of History, will take place Saturday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be free and open to the public throughout Beverly. The event is sponsored by the Beverly Heritage Center, which will offer free admission.
The event is also sponsored by the Town of Beverly, Citizens Bank of West Virginia, and Mountain Valley Bank, in partnership with the Beverly Fireman's Festival, which will run July 20 -27.
On July 20, Doug Wood of Hurricane, will portray the character Thomas Ingles as a presentation of the West Virginia Humanities Council History Alive! program. Thomas was captured along with his mother in a frontier raid at the age of 4, and was given to a Shawnee family in present-day Ohio to be raised in place of their deceased child.
Returning to his birth parents as a Shawnee man at the age of 17, Thomas received a Virginia gentleman's education and served in the Point Pleasant campaign of Dunmore's War in 1774 – a conflict that pitted his Virginia and Shawnee communities against each other on the battlefield.
This hour-long History Alive! Presentation, scheduled for 3 p.m., will include a monologue by the historical character Thomas Ingles, followed by interactive discussions between the audience and the character and then with the presenter.
From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Wood will portray the story of a Lenape man, explaining and demonstrating skills for daily living and skills of warfare.
"I will emphasize the story of Captain John Anthony (his English given name), a Delaware man who resided in what is now West Virginia and hunted and traded animal skins to earn a living." Wood said. "I will also discuss the impacts of Dunmore's War upon American Indians of the region west of Allegheny Mountain."
Dianne Anestis will join Wood to portray a Delaware (Lenape) woman sharing how life went on during the war. She will provide extensive details on the use of native plants for medicine, food, fiber and construction materials. She will also discuss specific roles of females in 18th century American Indian societies in the region.
The living history portrayals by Wood and Anestis will "respectfully raise awareness of the significance of western Virginia as home to Indigenous people and the clash of cultures leading up to the Revolutionary War 250 years ago," a press release states.
Beverly Heritage Day will also feature the "Parade of History" at 10:30 a.m., introducing a variety of characters participating in the Centuries of History. In addition to living history, craftspeople will demonstrate art with traditional origins, a Civil War Art Show will be featured at the Arnold House, and a variety of hands-on activities for children and adults will be offered.
Heritage music and dance traditions will include the Lincoln County Cloggers, old-time and traditional music, and 19th century organ and chamber music. Food sales will include an old-fashioned bean and cornbread lunch, pie and cake sale, and ice cream social.
See the website www.beverlyheritagecenter.org/events for more details and updates, or email info@beverlyheritagecenter.org, or call 304-637-7424.