Miniature fort building contest brings hands-on education to Fort Ligonier
The 15 tiny forts on display at Fort Ligonier on Saturday were much too small to keep any intruders out.
But they were just the right size for kids from elementary to high school to learn about 18th-century history.
Through the Model Fort Contest at Fort Ligonier, area students worked to build miniature models of forts to be graded and judged by museum officials and guests. The models were limited to 2 feet by 2 feet.
Student groups received a rubric and packet of historical information ahead of time, and had been working on their forts since the end of January.
The museum distributed prizes for the highest-graded fort in each age group — 9-11, 12-14, and 15-17 — as well as a special “People’s Choice Award” for the fort that received the most votes from museum visitors.
“It was meant to be their own, unique creation, so it didn’t necessarily have to be a replica of Fort Ligonier or any fort,” said Dave Swank, assistant director of education. “As much as we have programming for older adults, this was our way of saying thank you to the passionate historians that are at school age.”
This is the second annual iteration of the contest, he said.
“We’re hoping to continue to build on it moving forward. Hopefully we get more and more fort entries as the years go on.“
Julia Maruca is a TribLive reporter covering health and the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She joined the Trib in 2022 after working at the Butler Eagle covering southwestern Butler County. She can be reached at jmaruca@triblive.com.
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