Pa. agency explains why it enacted new 'no force-on-force rule' for Bushy Run, other sites

The end to battle reenactments at Bushy Run Battlefield has left many members of the community saddened and frustrated.

But in Harrisburg, officials with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission consider the new “no force-on-force” policy a positive for state history.

“There are more impactful and safer educational methods through which we can teach the public about the complex mix of ideas, events, social structures, etc. that led to violent conflict,” PHMC external affairs director Howard Pollman wrote via email.

Pollman provided further details on why PHMC decided to enact the policy that halts the annual Penn Township reenactment that commemorates the August 1763 battle between the British and Native Americans during Pontiac’s War.

As one of PHMC’s partner properties, Bushy Run relies on PHMC to oversee its strategic and interpretive direction. The site’s day-to-day operations are managed by the volunteer-based Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society.

PHMC began piloting the no force-on-force standard at the Pennsylvania Military Museum, one of its administered sites and partners, in March 2022. Pollman said the Boalsburg museum previously hosted the largest number of annual force-on-force reenactments of all PHMC sites.

The no force-on-force standard, which was adopted from the National Park Service, asserts that force-on-force reenactments are “disrespectful” to the memory of those who died in or were impacted by conflicts, Pollman said. The National Park Service implemented the policy in 2006.

Related:

• Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines

• Bushy Run draws support after state halts annual reenactment

• State officials in 2022: Bushy Run staff must consult with Native groups before staging reenactments

During PHMC’s pilot program, Pollman said the Pennsylvania Military Museum strengthened its relationships with military families who have experienced loss. He said some military families object to force-on-force reenactments, and PHMC worked with military families during the pilot program.

In addition, Pollman said the museum saw increased visitation and strengthened relationships with reenactors during the test run.

“Based on this success, PHMC intended to implement these standards at all PHMC-owned sites,” Pollman wrote.

Because the decision fell in the field of professional interpretation, it was made by PHMC staff and was not voted on by PHMC’s commission that includes elected officials and other state leaders.

Leaders with the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society said they learned about PHMC’s intention in mid-January.

Pollman said PHMC was considering a “phased approach” to the policy enactment so Bushy Run could host its 260th anniversary. The consideration was dropped when Bushy Run announced it would cancel the reenactment, he said.

This policy is effective May 1.

Could the 260th battle reenactment have taken place?

During a public meeting on Jan. 29, Bushy Run leaders acknowledged PHMC’s consideration to delay the policy, but expressed they felt they had to cancel the 260th reenactment.

This is because, also in mid-January, Bushy Run leaders said PHMC staff told them that, effective immediately, they would no longer be allowed to have non-Native reenactors portray Native Americans at the site, according to Rob Malley, who sits on the heritage society’s board.

In past Bushy Run reenactments, most reenactors were not Native American. There are no federally recognized tribes in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Representatives from federally recognized tribes attended the mid-January meeting with Bushy Run and PHMC leaders, according to Malley. During the meeting, the representatives told Bushy Run leaders that “they and others would not be available for our reenactment,” Malley said.

“That’s a reenactment without Native Americans that we were allowed to have,” he said. “That’s not much of a reenactment.”

Subsequently, Bushy Run leaders came to the conclusion that there was “no solution in holding a battle reenactment … with PHMC approval,” Malley told the public.

However, Pollman said that PHMC informed Bushy Run leaders that it intended to provide the funding to include Native American interpreters in the planning and implementation of Bushy Run’s 260th anniversary event.

Pollman described the Native reenactor standard as “interpretive best practice,” not a regulation. Last summer, PHMC placed a moratorium on interpretation and events that portrayed Native Americans unless relevant federally recognized tribes were consulted.

PHMC consults representatives of the Seneca, Seneca-Cayuga, Shawnee and Delaware tribes regarding its interpretation of Native American history. All of these tribes — which are located in New York, Oklahoma and Wisconsin — consider Pennsylvania to be their ancestral homeland, Pollman said.

During ongoing conversations with representatives, Pollman said they have repeatedly shared concerns that PHMC’s sites lacked Native perspectives on history.

“To continue this interpretive programming without evaluation and significant input from those tribes connected to Pennsylvania would go against the best practices of the public history field,” Pollman wrote. “It also undermines the commonwealth’s efforts over the past two years to develop channels for communications and to establish trust with these sovereign nations.”

Bushy Run leaders feel they were excluded from PHMC’s conversations with Native representatives, per comments made during the public meeting.

Malley said PHMC prohibited Bushy Run leaders from reaching out to Native representatives about the reenactment. In addition, he said, Bushy Run leaders asked PHMC to provide more historical resources to properly represent the Native American experience, but Bushy Run has yet to receive those resources.

The battle reenactment was Bushy Run’s biggest fundraiser that drew dozens of historical reenactors and thousands of observers.

The nonprofit heritage society raised more than $30,000 in 2021, failing to make up for more than $52,000 in expenses. About half of that revenue stemmed from the reenactment.

Pollman said PHMC recognizes Bushy Run’s significance and wants to invest resources to update its museum and provide additional education programming.

“PHMC looks forward to working with (the heritage society), local partners and representatives of federally recognized tribes to develop programs and events to mark the anniversary of this historic conflict with the most engaging, educational, authentic and respectful commemoration possible,” Pollman wrote.