THE
18TH CENTURY FRONTIER FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICA
Our Five Areas of Research and Presentations.
What the Providence Plantation Programs Uniquely Offer You.
Many distinctive characteristics form the living history programs offered by the Providence Plantation Foundation. First,
it provides autobiographical, actor-interpreters in period attire, who portray significant persons who were present on the
18th century upper Ohio Valley frontier. Second, it allows our visitors to hear all the cross-cultural voices
of this frontier history: white, black, and red. Third. it offers period “edutainment,” education and entertainment,
including vocalists and instrumentalists who by this media also teach the history. Fourth, it encourages audience participation
and interaction and provides for question and answer sessions at the end of each interpretive presentation. Fifth,
it provides programs on the entire 18th century upper Ohio Valley frontier history in five stages: 1) the
Indian trade, 2) the Seven Years’ War, 3) colonial resistance to imperial crises 4) the Revolutionary frontier, and
5) westward settlement expansion and struggles with democracy. All programs move in a progressive chronological sequence to
cover each one year period. No program is ever the same.
The potential for learning and appreciating our entire 18th century frontier history is uniquely offered at the
Frontier Living History Center at Providence Plantation. However, programs on any of these five stages
are available at any time to schools and other organizations regardless of what period controls the main historical framework
of our schedule in a given year.
In order for Americans to accurately understand who we are and where we are in modern history, it is critical for us to hear
all the voices of those who came before us. Our storytellers are the culture bearers of all those who contributed to the creation
of America on the Upper Ohio Valley frontier. Such a profound understanding through historical education
entails personal responsibilities as we American citizens struggle to live up to the democratic ideals and shared liberty
that we ultimately inherited from divine Providence.
What follows are summaries of each of the five
18th century periods that form the basis of our distinctive frontier history programs, including reading recommendations for
self-education. More extensive and informative studies with bibliography on each of the five periods are available for purchase
upon request at frontier@pa.net or (724) 538-8818.