Peace and Friendship Summit

The Darke County Park District in partnership with the Treaty of Greenville Bicentennial Commission is proud to be hosting an event, The Peace and Friendship Summit, to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Second Treaty of Greenville in July 1814. The signing of this treaty ended most hostilities of the War of 1812 and was crucial to ending the war. This premier event will begin on July 24, 2014 with a grand opening of a new Tecumseh display room at the Nature Center to celebrate the many Native American Indian tribes who lived and visited the Greenville area. This room will be a hands-on encounter into the lives of a typical Native American Indian in the late 1700’s-early 1800’s and a display space for some of the Park District’s historical artifacts including the Kinzie Brooch and an original George Washington Peace Medal, which have never been on public display. On display beginning July 24th until September will be one of three original silver peace pipes given to Indian tribes at the Second Treaty of Greenville thanks to a loan from the Kansas City Museum. Following the opening of the Tecumseh Room will be a banquet with foods introduced to American pioneers by the Native Americans, dulcimer music and a parade of period costume.

The summit continues on Friday, July 25th with a grand opening of a “bowery” structure in our Prairie Ridge Meadow Park area built with funding awarded through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and constructed by volunteers of the Park District. The Bowery is a reproduction of the structure under which the Second Treaty of Greenville was signed on animal skins in 1814. An Honor ceremony with representatives of the nine Native American tribes who signed the treaty and state and local dignitaries will take place along with Native dancing, prayer and a gifting of wampum belts. The remainder of the day will be filled with demonstrators, re-enactors and story tellers talking about the period of the second Treaty signing. The Peace and Friendship Summit merges with the annual Gathering at Garst on July 26 & 27. The Gathering is an annual event to support Garst Museum and promote the history of the Darke County area.

The Banquet will be the kickoff of the Peace and Friendship Summit and will occur at the Nature Center at Shawnee Prairie Preserve (4267 State Route 502 West) on July 24th at 5:30pm. Tickets are $15 per person, pre-sale only. Seating is limited. For information on purchasing tickets, please contact Deborah Shiverdecker at 937.548.0165.