Fort Focus
Experience baseball as it was played in the 1860s
by Gregory Paynter Shine
Chief Ranger and Historian, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Today, the crack of a baseball bat, the cheers of an exhilarated crowd and brisk cries of “Huzzah” and “Well struck, Sir!” can still be heard echoing across the historic Parade Ground of Vancouver Bar-racks, more than 140 years after the first game was played there.
The staff and volunteers of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park System, gather twice each summer for a wildly popular living history event that reenacts the early base ball matches at Vancouver Barracks. (Yes, “base ball” was two words in the 1860s.) As spectators to these reenactments can attest, the game introduced in 1867 differed significantly from today’s sport. No players wear gloves and no safety gear is worn.
Spectators must bring their own lawn chairs or picnic blankets. People are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner or to eat dinner at the Grant House before the game. Before the game begins, ladies and girls wearing 1860s period dress play a croquet game.
• WHAT: 1860s Vintage Base Ball Game
• WHEN: Saturday, July 17th, 6 p.m.
• WHERE: Fort Vancouver Parade Ground across the street from Officers Row
• DETAILS: Bring your lawn chair and a picnic or eat the Grant House
• COST: Free
• INFO: Fort Vancouver Visitor Center at 360-816-6230
July Events at the Fort Vancouver National Site
Ongoing Programs:
• Fort Vancouver, the Visitor Center and the Fort Vancouver Bookstore are open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 360-816-6230
• Free tours of the Marshall House on Officers Row, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 360-693-3103
• Pearson Air Museum and Bookstore are open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 360-694-7026
• The Grant House Restaurant on Officers Row is open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturdays for dinner only, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., 360-906-1101
• Rose plate lunch special, Monday-Friday, $5.25
• Wine tasting with small plate appetizer, Tuesdays 5-7 p.m.
• Whiskey tasting, Wednesdays 5-7 p.m.
• Tea time, Fridays 2-4 p.m.
Special Events
July 4, noon-10:30 p.m.: Inde- pendence Day at Fort Vancouver presented by Bank of America is Sunday, July 4, at the Fort Vancouver National Site. Activities begin at noon. The event culminates with a fireworks show launched from Pearson Field beginning at 10:10 p.m.
In order to make the event economically sustainable, the non-profit Fort Vancouver National Trust is charging a nominal admission fee for those ages 13 and above. Ages 12 and under are free. Advance tickets purchased online at www.FortVan.org are $5 per person through midnight on July 3. Tickets at the gate will be $7 for ages 13 and above.
Entertainment will be offered on four smaller stages scattered throughout the historic site.
New this year is a heritage stage featuring old-fashioned entertainment including an Abe Lin-coln actor, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Washington Old-Time Fiddlers, a bluegrass band, a folk band, a banjo troubadour playing Civil War era songs, community leaders providing patriotic oration from our nation’s historic documents and speeches, Civil War cannon demonstrations, heritage fashion and much more.
For more information, visit www. FortVan.org or call the Fort Vancouver National Trust at 360-992-1800.
July 9, 6:30p.m.: Evening on the Row. Vancouver Barracks comes to life every Friday night through Sept. 10 with a variety of activities including costumed interpreters demonstrating Victorian waltzing, croquet games and walking tours along Officers Row; National Park Service, 360-816-6230
July 16, 6:30 p.m.: Evening on the Row, see July 9 description
July 17-18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Soldiers’ Bivouac, Parade Ground east of the Bandstand. Explore the camps of solders from Vancouver Barracks both past and present to capture a glimpse of life in the military from a soldier’s point of view; National Park Service, 360-816-6230
July 17, 6 p.m.: 1860s Vintage Base Ball Game. See above for details.
July 23, 6:30 p.m.: Evening on the Row, see July 9th description
July 30, 6:30 p.m.: Evening on the Row, see July 9th description
The Fort Vancouver National Site interprets the stories of the Native Americans, the British Hudson’s Bay Company, the U.S. Army at Vancouver Barracks, early aviation at Pearson Field, the world’s largest spruce mill during World War I and the Kaiser Shipyards during World War II. For further information, contact the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, 360-816-6230; Pearson Air Museum at 360-694-7026; the Fort Vancouver National Trust at 360-992-1800; or online at www.fortvan.org.
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