The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Park Service are hosting an 18th-century Artillery Weekend this Saturday and Sunday at Fort Frederick State Park.
The Artillery Weekend will feature park staff and volunteers demonstrating the loading and firing of a British 6-pound cannon of the French and Indian War period. The French and Indian War, which was fought between 1756 and 1763, changed the landscape and fabric of North America forever. The war, which pitted the French and their Indian allies against the British and their Indian allies, brought destruction to the Maryland frontier.
As a result, the colony of Maryland constructed Fort Frederick in 1756 as its main line of security for the frontier.
In its finished condition, the fort included four 6-pound cannons, which played a vital role in the design and defense of the fort. Due to Fort Frederick's unusually strong defenses, it successfully deterred French and Indian raiding parties and restored stability to the frontier.
