The community is invited to celebrate fall during Heritage Day at the Daniel Boone Homestead on Sunday, Oct. 23, from noon to 4 p.m. The living history event will feature demonstrations of 18th-century trades such as blacksmithing, gunbuilding, leatherworking and hearth cooking, as well as a limited number of craft and specialty food vendors and children's activities.

The site's Bertolet Sawmill will also run at select times throughout the afternoon. Specific hours will be posted.

"The sawmill is popular because it only operates during special events and it's a very unique thing to see," said Amanda Machik, coordinator of site events and programs for the Daniel Boone Homestead Associates (DBHA). "There are only two or three vertical blade operating sawmills in the United States." The water-powered sawmill was moved to the homestead in 1972 from its original location in the Oley Valley.

In the Boone House, volunteer re-enactors will cook a hearty meal, including seasonal vegetables, over the hearth. The Boone House will also be open for tours. Visitors will be able to see all of the first-floor rooms of the home, including the spring cellar, and learn about the three families that lived there during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

"We will have a quill pen writing activity for kids and Colonial toys and games as well," Machik added.

An admission fee will be collected. There will be separate prices for adults, seniors age 65 and over and youths ages 6 to 17. Children age 5 and under and DBHA members will be admitted for free. No pets are permitted at the site.

The homestead is owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and it is run by the DBHA. According to Machik, the organization that previously supported the homestead ended its role at the historic site in 2019.

In 2020, the new organization - DBHA - was formed and an ad hoc board was brought together. "Some of the new board was made up of people with longstanding relationships with the site; others were newly engaged people from the community," said Machik. "The Associates are a nonprofit and are responsible for everyday visitor operations."

The Daniel Boone Homestead, the birthplace of the famed frontiersman, born in 1734, is located halfway between Reading and Pottstown, 1 mile north of Route 422 near Baumstowm. For GPS users, the address is 400 Daniel Boone Road, Birdsboro.

For more information, call 610-582-4900 or visit http://www.thedanielboonehomestead.org or http://www.facebook.com/danielboonehomestead.