PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There's a big change coming for war reenactments in Pennsylvania. State officials say it's for safety reasons and the preservation of historical resources.
Effective May 1, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission says it will no longer allow "force on force" reenactments on its sites or in its museums. Those are reenactments "that involve exchanges of weapons’ fire, the taking of casualties, hand-to-hand combat, or any other form of simulated warfare or violence between opposing forces."
Michael Funk, vice president of the West Jersey Artillery company, has been involved with war reenactments for nearly three decades.
"We portray a cannon crew at either tactical events [or] living history events, to show the public exactly what went into the loading and firing and maneuvering of the piece in George Washington's army," he explained of the portrayals that often take his company to Pennsylvania.
Read the entire memo here.
The commission cites inherent safety risks to both participants and spectators, as well as potential damage to historic resources. A memo from PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery says that potential is “unacceptably high” and runs counter to the commission’s mandate to preserve those sites as well as the employees who work there.
Funk says safety is his company’s first priority, and he thinks taking away a relatively safe event is doing a disservice to the public.
"They come there to be educated, they want to learn. The best way to do that is to show them what happened at that site," he said
He adds New Jersey is moving in the opposite direction of Pennsylvania and putting money behind the reenactment of historic battles.
Meanwhile, other enthusiasts say many of those force on force battles will now move to privately owned sites.
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