It won’t take too much to transform Gloucester’s historic Stage Fort Park into a stand-in for the Charlestown Peninsula in 1775 for the 250th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 21 and 22, says Brent “Ringo” Tarr, who is spearheading efforts here to bring the battle to life.
“It will be one of the biggest things that has ever happened in Gloucester, that’s for sure,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing that will happen here.”
The battle was one of the Revolution’s most significant, but urban development in Charlestown has made a large-scale reenactment, including a water landing, of the battle impossible.
Stage Fort Park’s proximity to the sea will allow reenactors to recreate the British landing on Half Moon Beach.
The event celebrating the battle on June 17, 1775, is being organized by the Essex National Heritage Commission in partnership with Revolution 250 and other local organizations.
The day-long event will feature battle recreations, the construction of fortifications, and the water landing by British troops. Attendees will be able to meet reenactors playing historical figures and regular Boston residents of the day.
Schooners Lynx, Lewis H. Story, Ardelle and Isabella will stand in for the Royal Navy.
The same program will be held Sunday as on Saturday. Thousands are expected to flock to Gloucester to see the reenactment.
On Friday, some organizers met at Stage Fort Park to review their preparations.
“Good so far,” Tarr said. “It’s been very hectic, but it’s going good. Been a couple of hiccups, but everything else has been good.”
One thing that needs to be done is the ballfield’s infield and the pitcher’s mound need to dressed with grass clippings to make them look green. The bleachers will be removed and some benches will be taken out. Organizers wanted the large backstop removed, but Tarr said “no.”
“I drew the line at that,” he said.
Branches and debris will be spread on the field to make it harder for British troops to reach the fortifications.
When the redoubt is constructed, reenactors will not be digging into the hill.
Filter fabric will be put down first, and 200 bales of hay will act as the fortification. The hay bales will be covered in dirt to give it the appearance of earthen works, Tarr said.
“There is no digging at all,” he said. “No damage.” Organizers have a landscaping contractor to make sure if there is any damage, the park will be restored perhaps better than it is now.
Spectators will be able to watch the action along the edge of the ballfield and along Hough Avenue, which will be one-way during the event, coming in at the park’s tennis courts and going out onto Western Avenue past The Cupboard restaurant.
“Wherever we can fit them we will have spectators,” Tarr said.
“Best part about this is being able to add that maritime component,” said Maritime Gloucester Executive Director Michael De Koster, who was asked to get involved with the reenactment about two years ago. “You can’t do something on the water without being in Gloucester, right?”
Maritime Heritage Charters’ schooner Ardelle will stand in for the HMS Lively that shoots the first shot in the morning during the start of the reenactment of the landing, De Koster said.
Lexington resident Steve Cole, the captain commanding the Lexington Minutemen Co., was at Stage Fort Park on Friday to prepare for the reenactment.
He said the company reenacts the Battle of Bunker Hill every few years “and we are always looking for a different venue to host it and it’s not often we get an opportunity to do it at a place as nice as this where we have the ocean, we can reenact the landing of the British and all these things, so we are really grateful and excited to be here.”
Cole plans to portray Capt. Benjamin Ames of Andover, one of several captains in the battalion of Col. James Frye, also of Andover. He plans to lead about 70 troops during the reenactment.
Ringo Tarr’s brother, state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, was also at Stage Fort Park on Friday.
“I think this is an incredible honor for Gloucester and for Cape Ann, and it’s an exciting opportunity for all of us to remember an important milestone in the history of our country, and it’s significant because there were a number of folks from Cape Ann that participated in this battle,” Bruce Tarr said.
“Of course, we know one was Jabez Tarr,” said Bruce Tarr, who along with his brother is a direct descendant of the 15-year-old who fought at the battle and lived to fight again during the Revolution. “The point is that on Cape Ann we have a connectedness to this battle, as does the rest of Essex County.”
A number of folks from the Merrimack Valley also took part in the battle, he said.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.