"The Portrayal of General Lachlan McIntosh"

Description

John Burke, a lifelong Medina County resident and Eagle Scout, has long studied Native American history and portrays more than a dozen Native American and historic figures using handmade, period-accurate regalia. He has presented at schools, libraries, parks, and historical organizations, and regularly participates in Medina County Parks’ Pioneer in the Park Weekend. Nationally, he has reenacted roles in major historic events, including portraying Lakota Sioux war chief Crow King at the 125th anniversary of Custer’s Last Stand (2001), and participating in the anniversaries of the Siege of Fort Niagara (2009) and Fort Meigs (2012). He has also portrayed Captain Wolf, a Lenapi (Delaware) figure from Medina County during the War of 1812. Burke has served as Medina County Treasurer since 1994 and lives in Medina Township with his family. In this presentation, Burke portrays General Lachlan McIntosh, a Revolutionary War leader appointed by George Washington to command the Continental Army’s Western Department at Fort Pitt. In 1778, McIntosh led an expedition to establish Fort Laurens near present-day Bolivar, Ohio—the state’s only Revolutionary War fort—intended as a military outpost and defense against British-allied Native forces. The fort endured a harsh winter siege in 1779 and was abandoned later that year. Today, the Fort Laurens site includes a memorial to fallen soldiers and a museum with artifacts from 1970s excavations. The program runs approximately 45–55 minutes, is free to attend, and offers parking across from Shreve Presbyterian Church.