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With a sad and heavy heart I must tell you that early this morning we lost one of our own, Mike Homza of la Compagnie Le Boeuf.

Mike was in Allegheny General Hospital for the last 10 days with heart problems. Mary called me just now and said that he slipped away at 6 am today. As soon as there are details of a service, I will send another notification.

Mike was one of the ""originals" of our French and Indian War re-enacting community. We have all laughed at his campfire stories about the early days at Fort Pitt and the "polyester corps". Mike was a friend to all and always ready to help and share his vast store of information with anyone who was puzzling over "How did they do that?" questions.

In recent years Mike and Dale Luthinger developed and ran the annual Cook Forest Event, where he happily wore his priest's robe and played Father Denis Barone, Recollect father of Fort Pitt. When you pass this sad announcement along to friends from other units, tell them Mike was the guy on the lifeguard stand in the woods at Cook Forest. I shall greatly miss "Father Mike". He and Mary were always the very best of friends to us.

Please say a short prayer for Mike - and follow it up with a shared funny story about him. He so loved a good laugh.

As soon as there are any details of arrangements, I will tell you. Mary sends love to you all, but has requested no telephone calls or texts just now. She is resting and must not be disturbed for a while. ... See more

LAST CALL to pay your 2020 dues and to make any contributions to the Richard Ropp Memorial Fund. If you are unsure of your status, please contact the treasurer. THANK YOU!

“Ft. Niagara, the Key to the Oceans and the French Movement to Dominate North America”, by William Edward Utley and Patricia Kay Scott.
I saw this for sale at Ft. Niagara but bought it on Amazon for a slightly better price. The book is co-written by an amateur historian and a professional archaeologist. This is, in this case, an effective mix of academic disciplines. The book is divided into three parts. The first part addresses the origins of the 16th century fur trade in New France, Iroquois control of the region, as well as French expansion of the fur trade in the 17th century. The second part addresses French activity in the region during the 17th century. The third part addresses events of the 18th century, culminating with the siege of 1759. The maps, photographs, diagrams and bibliography are superb and support the narrative. One particularly interesting diagram depicts the 195 feet of erosion that has occurred since the construction of the French Castle in 1726. The French Castle was the first and is the only remaining man-made feature that dates to the establishment of Ft. Niagara. It is virtually unchanged since its construction. The only thing this book lacks, in my view, are photographs and technical drawings of the archaeological assemblage of artifacts that have been found on the site. It is perhaps not surprising that I would have appreciated that. I recommend this book without reservation. ... See more

The following is a book review I have been meaning to post. Enjoy!

"Ft. Niagara, the Key to the Oceans and the French Movement to Dominate North America" by William Edward Utley and Patricia Kay Scott.

I saw this for sale at Ft. Niagara but bought it on Amazon for a slightly better price. The book is co-written by an amateur historian and a professional archaeologist. This is, in this case, an effective mix of academic disciplines. The book is divided into three parts. The first part addresses the origins of the 16th century fur trade in New France, Iroquois control of the region, as well as French expansion of the fur trade in the 17th century. The second part addresses French activity in the region during the 17th century. The third part addresses events of the 18th century, culminating with the siege of 1759. The maps, photographs, diagrams and bibliography are superb and support the narrative. One particularly interesting diagram depicts the 195 feet of erosion that has occurred since the construction of the French Castle in 1726. The French Castle was the first, and is the only remaining man-made feature that dates to the establishment of Ft. Niagara. It is virtually unchanged since its construction. The only thing this book lacks, in my view, are photographs and technical drawings of the archaeological assemblage of artifacts that have been found on the site. It is perhaps not surprising that I would have appreciated that. I recommend this book without reservation. ... See more

2020 Unit Schedule

Feb 22 - Cherry Pie Walk, Old Stone House
Apr 4 - Cooks Forest Work Party
Jun 13/14 - Cooks Forest F&I Encampment
Jun 20/21 - MK Goddard Pioneer Fest
Jun 20/21 - Fort Meigs Muster
Jul 3/4/5 - Old Fort Niagara F&I Encampment
Jul 11/12 - Cochranton
Jul 11/12 - Grantsville, MD
Jul 17/18/19 - Waterford Heritage Days
Jul 18/19 - Fort Roberdeau
Aug 1/2 - Bushy Run
Aug 15/16 - Old Bedford Village
Aug 21/23 - Fort Frederick F&I Encampment
Sep 19/20 - Penns Colony
Sep 26/27 - Penns Colony
Oct 8 - Butler County Educational Symposium
Oct 9/10/11 - Ligionier Days
Nov 6/7 - Old Fort Niagara French Heritage Days
Nov 7 - Drake Wells Oil Wars

Feb 6, 2021 - Annual Unit Meeting ... See more

The unit will be collecting funds for a memorial for Dick Ropp, founding member of Compagnie LeBoeuf. Unit members can contribute to that fund throughout the month of February. All funds collected will be donated to the Fort LeBoeuf Museum in Waterford. ... See more

Polite reminder, 2020 annual membership dues were due February 1, if you have not paid, please do so now.

Annual meeting today. Hope to see everyone there.

Richard "Dick" Ropp, 81, of Edinboro passed away peacefully January 8th 2020 at St. Vincent’s Health Center.

Born August 19, 1938 in Bloomington, Illinois to parents Chester and Marie (Dahl) Ropp, he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

He was an admired figure and active member of the Edinboro community, and owned Poppa Ropp’s Video for several years before becoming a greeter at the local Walmart.. Prior to retiring from his position as a Systems Manager at GTE Data Services, he was a customer engineer for IBM in Binghamton, NY. He was also a founding member of the NWPA Film Society, owner of the NWPA Film Office, and co-owner of the Eerie Horror Film Festival. In addition, people in the community adored him for his portrayal of Santa Claus at local events.

He was a co-founder of both the French Creek Living History Association and Compagnie LeBoeuf, enjoying encampments at Fort Niagara, Custaloga Town, and many other sites. He was also a critical part of saving the Fort LeBoeuf Museum in Waterford. He was also a member of the Edinboro Lions Club for several years, and volunteered as a delivery driver for his daughter in law at A Floral Affair.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother Larry Ropp and niece Judy Ropp.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 63 years, Mavis Ropp, son Jeffrey Ropp and daughter-in-law Mary Ropp, son Greg Ropp, grandchildren Shannon Stefano, Alan and Erica (Ropp)

Bickel, Andrew and Tamara Ropp, and great-granddaughter Amelia Bickel.

A celebration of life is planned for Saturday January 11th from 3:00PM to 07:00PM at the Edinboro Fire Hall at 125 Meadville Street, Edinboro, PA 16412.

In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Fort LeBoeuf.Museum at 123 South High, Waterford, PA 16441. ... See more

The 2020 Annual Meeting will be held in the Admiral Room located inside the Blasco Memorial Museum ( 150 Front Street, Erie, Pa) at 12:00 a.m. on February 1st. No food is permitted inside the Admiral Room.

All past dues along with 2020 dues must be received before January 31st. Dues should be made payable to Compagnie LeBoeuf. ... See more