1812 Living History
2023 Living History Summer Series
The Sackets Harbor Battlefield will feature a series of free Living History events throughout the summer, beginning Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) and continuing through New York State’s Official War of 1812 Observance Day on Saturday, September 23.
See the past come to life, as re-enactors portray life during the War of 1812, and discover the stories of those who braved New York State’s northern frontier 200 years ago in war and peace. Along with the 1812 re-enactment events, the Battlefield will also host several living history days highlighting other important eras in American history and the traditional skills and activities of the time.
This series is sponsored by the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site’s Battlefield Alliance. For more information on any of the events, please contact Constance Barone at 315-646-3634 or visit the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site website.
The list of events is below, and we’ll be adding more dates and information to this page as they’re announced. (Unless otherwise noted, all the events take place at the Battlefield, located at 504 West Main Street, in the Village of Sackets Harbor.)
2023 Living History & Special Events
- Monday, May 29, from 8 am to 8:30 am, Memorial Day Observance with the Sackets Harbor American Legion wreath laying at Centennial Monument in Memorial Tree Grove
- Monday, May 29, from 10 am to 3 pm, Living History programs marking the 210th Anniversary of the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
- Saturday, June 3, from 10 am to 1 pm, National Trails Day StoryWalk featuring “Turtle’s Race with Beaver: A Seneca Legend,” co-sponsored with Hay Memorial Library, the Fort Drum Library, and the Adirondack Mountain Club, along with free giveaways and trail maintenance by the 1000 Islands Park Stewards
- Saturday, June 10, from 10 am to 12 pm, Saturday Crafts at the Pavilion will guide participants in painting wooden flowers and leaves
- Saturday, June 17, from 10 am to 4 pm, New York State Path Through History Day featuring the 1812 Marine Guard’s living history camp at Memorial Tree Grove and the “Art Inspires Poetry Walk,” from 10 am to 1 pm, following the History Trail and experiencing Meaning, Sound & Rhythm through the arts (co-sponsored with Hay Memorial Library)
- Saturday, June 24, from 10 am to noon pm, Saturday Crafts at the Pavilion will guide participants in painting small wooden houses or “the stars above”
- Saturday, June 24, from 10 am to 3 pm, the 1812 Marine Guard will showcase its living history camp at Memorial Tree Grove
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 29, 30, and July 1, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Saturday, July 1, from 10 am to 12 pm, Saturday Crafts at the Pavilion will feature painting miniature canvas flags and add in a little exercise by flying kites as well
- Tuesday, July 4, at 9:30 pm, enjoy the Village’s annual Fireworks Show
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 6, 7, and 8, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Saturday, July 8, from 10 am to 1 pm, StoryWalk with Hay Memorial Library featuring Stephen Cohen’s book “Birdie, Birdie,” plus the Saturday Crafts at the Pavilion, which will guide participants in paining a wooden model sailboat
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 13, 14, and 15, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Saturday, July 15, from 1 pm to 3 pm, the Annual Kite Fest, part of the community’s 51st annual Can-Am Festival, in the expansive lawn by the red barn
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 20, 21, and 22, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 27, 28, and 29, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Aug 3, 4, and 5, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Thursday and Friday, Aug 10 and 11, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Saturday, Aug 12, Civil War Saturday featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove discussing life on board US Navy ships and the experience of the Union troops on land (weather permitting)
- Thursday and Friday, Aug 17 and 18, the War of 1812 Living History Camp featuring site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)
- Saturday, Aug 19, Spanish-American War and World War I demonstrations by US soldier and sailor living history specialists in the Battlefield’s Navy Yard (weather permitting)
- Saturday, Sept 30, NYS Official War of 1812 Day featuring the 1812 Marine Guard and site staff in Memorial Tree Grove (weather permitting)