What is the history of the battle and the event?
We can document that at least as far back as 1849 citizens have celebrated the American victory at the Cow Pens by firing weapons and giving speeches. In the mid-1970s’, the park expanded from the original 1 acre designated by Congress to the 842 acres it is today. During that period the National Park Service began having ceremonies acknowledging the battle anniversary. The park held a major event for the 200th anniversary in 1981 and has continued to celebrate the anniversary ever since. While the basic format of 18th century weapons firing demonstrations and speeches is consistent each year, we also try to do at least one thing different or add something new to keep it from getting stale.
