The event, conducted by the Franklin County chapter of National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, began at Fort Loudon with a small ceremony honoring and telling the story of the first conflict between Americans and the British, 10 years before the Revolutionary War would take place.
In 1765, a mob known as the Black Boys sacked a wagon train at Fort Loudon that was headed for the Indian trade at Fort Pitt. It was a demonstration of rage against eastern merchants, who they believed were supplying the weapons that the Ohio Indians had used during Pontiac's Rebellion to wage war.
The group was led by James Smith, who organized the group and taught them Indian tactics, including blackening their faces and wearing Indian garments, thus they became known as the Black Boys.
State Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Chambersburg, led a small ceremony prior to the unveiling, sharing that his interest and first introduction to the rebellion was from the 1939 movie, "Allegheny Uprising," an account of the rebellion, starring John Wayne as James Smith.
"This happened in our backyard," Alloway said. He also spoke about the importance of second amendment rights and the role they played in the Black Boys Rebellion.
"We have that amendment for exactly for what happened out there," Alloway said.
Some members of the community, including Janet Pollard, director of Franklin County Visitors Bureau, and Franklin County Commissioner David Keller, made speeches about the importance of history and remarked upon how close it really is to residents of Franklin County.
"It's right here in our backyard," said Pollard, who encouraged beginning and longtime history enthusiasts to continue to learn and expand their knowledge.
Keller spoke about the blessings of living in a historically rich community like Franklin County that preserves the past.
"We can't put a price on history," Keller said.
Andrew Newman, a curator in Gettysburg, portrayed James Smith, complete with Indian garments, era rifle and blackened face.
The Black Boys would have used crushed walnut shells to blacken their faces and put the red stripe across their faces using crushed red shells, Newman said.
Newman, who grew up in the area, used writings and artifacts left behind to study and get into character.
Smith left behind a narrative in the 1790s, and he wrote down some of the native tactics he learned while being adopted by the Indians and living with them after five years of captivity.
A lot of his life is known from what he left behind, including a description of the what the Black Boys looked like.
"There were some variations in their outfits," Newman said, citing minor preferences of the members, including different colored shirts. "But he tried to have some sort of unity."
William Pencack, a professor of American history at Penn State University, was the main speaker at the event, and told the story of the Black Boys Rebellion, as well as talked about its importance in the scope of the Revolutionary War.
Mercersburg, he said, was in reality, the first place where there was active confrontation between the British and Americans, with the Black Boys Rebellion at Fort Loudon right behind.
"These places are fundamental to history and freedom for history in America," Pencak said. "It's just people don't know about it."
Everything the Black Boys did was legal, as they held search warrants to go through the wagons and after seizing any weapons, would let the wagons through.
"It is not just self defense, but the idea that the civilian authority meant more then military authority," Pencak said. He said this would be seen again later during war time, including the Boston Massacre and the March to Concord.
Before the marker was unveiled, at its site on Pa. 75 near Hawbaker Road, Alice Lubrecht, commissioner from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission talked briefly about the process for a marker to be approved, including an initial review panel and then more review by commissioners.
Lauren Cappuccio can be contacted at email@example.com and 262-4754.