Fort Belknap receives living history donation
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Some of the items Fort Belknap received in a donation from Lee Allen Honeywell. Honeywell donated nearly $17,000 worth of living history from the period of 1847 to 1853. The uniforms and rest of the items will be on display and in use Oct. 26-27. (Leader Photo by Nathan Lawson)
The Young County Commissioners’ Court voted on Monday to accept nearly $17,000 worth of donations in the form of living history for Fort Belknap.
The fort has received living history items which were dated from 1847 to 1853 like cantines, uniforms, silverware, tents, guns and many other items. The items used to be a part of Buffalo Gap Historic Village in Abilene and when Director and McMurray University Professor Donald Frazier decided to sell them he was told to contact Fort Belknap. The fort did not have funds to purchase the items according to Fort Belknap Director Jim Hammond but Lee Allen Honeywell purchased the items and donated them to the fort.
“By getting this collection, it shows a more comprehensive and complete view of the life of soldiers at the frontier,” Hammond said. “It was kind of an element that was missing from our living history museum.”
The Friends of Fort Belknap are hosting a 1870s saloon-themed fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 18 at the Fort Belknap Barracks B called The Mild Mild West: How the West Never Was. The fundraiser will have card games, music and non-alcoholic drinks with saloon girls and temperance marchers. Chips can be bought at the event for 25 cents each to support the fort. For more information contact 940-282-0513, or see the Friends of Fort Belknap Facebook page
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