Fort Halifax Park

Thank You for Visiting Fort Halifax Park Online!

This website will provide you with a Park overview of the newly rediscovered French and Indian War Fort (1756), Fort Halifax, its history, the 1800's farmstead, the nature park, as well as information about past, current, and upcoming activities. Additionally, there is information about the non-profit membership organization, Friends of Fort Halifax Park Inc.. The Friends members, volunteers, and partners serve as the support group for owner, Halifax Township, assisting with the preservation and maintenance, development, management, and the educational history and nature, and event programing of Historic Fort Halifax Park and Preserve. Historic Fort Halifax Park and Preserve is 174 acres of passive recreation with picnic areas, the scenic Susquehanna River and Armstrong Creek, walking trails, gardens, and more. Visitors welcome dawn to dusk.

Discover Fort Halifax

Fort Halifax, originally known as "the camp at Armstrong's", was built in 1756 with the purpose of providing safe shelter along the Susquehanna River for supply bateaux's and pack trains passing to and from Fort Hunter (Harrisburg) and Fort Augusta (Sunbury). Due to the French and Indian War, settlers in this area regularly encountered deadly conflicts along this route. Fort Halifax was built as a solution to the problem.
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Meetings, Events, and News

Friends of Fort Halifax Park Inc. - Board Meetings

2024 Board Meeting Dates: Meetings held 2nd Thursday of each month at Yeager House at 6pm - unless otherwise indicated below.

November 14 - Board Elections/General Membership Meeting - 6pm at Yeager House - All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Cast your votes for the 2025 FoFHP members, and be a volunteer to help with the park!
December 12

If you have something you would like to discuss at a meeting (a suggestion, idea, comment, or concern) contact us via email to be part of the agenda.
Members and the public are always welcome to attend meetings.
All meetings include an "After Meeting Social" with light refreshments.
Memberships are easy, please click here.

Thank you for your support!

Events

Current 2025 Schedule:

Check back here for 2025 events

Current News

Memorial Deck Honoring Michael Decker:
Sunday, November 3, 2024 - Dedication of the Michael T. Decker Memorial - Decker River Overlook Deck at Fort Halifax Park - The Friends of Fort Halifax Park recently had the honor to host many guests including Mike Decker’s, wife Susan, son Nick, and many Decker family and friends. It was a beautiful day for the 40+ guests who attended!
Mike Decker passed away in 2009, but his dedication and commitment to service, conservation, and the people of our community will live on through this beautiful overlook deck. Mike was the Emergency Management Coordinator for Halifax, active in Twin Valley Conservation and Communities that Care, and was a supporter of Fort Halifax Park and FoFHP, as well as a former Halifax Township Supervisor.
The deck was built onto the back of Yeager House, so it overlooks the beautiful and peaceful Susquehanna River. FoFHP’s partnership with Dauphin County Technical School and the support relationships we have with many in our local community and beyond make great things like this possible! We would like to thank everyone for all their incredible work and support; Twin Valley Conservation – Rich Frantz, Shirley Shoop, and the many memorial donors, Dauphin County Technical School – Administration, Building Construction and Welding Instructors Bob Brightbill and Marc Ohwiler, and all the students, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, Stabler Foundation, Dauphin Enterprises, LLC – Sam Wesner and Andy Shillingsford, Hoover Landscaping – Scott Theurer, Gates Construction – Jim Gates, Handrails and Door – FoFHP members Bruce Henry (Committee Chair), Bob Keefer, Rick Schmick, Paul Shoop, John Esch, and all the volunteers who came to help! What a fabulous space, predominately built by Dauphin County Technical School students – what an awesome bunch of future builders, entrepreneurs, and volunteers! Thank you all! Be sure to check out the pictures here.

Halifax Township Board of Supervisors, Owners of Fort Halifax Park Decide to Subdivide the Parkland:
The Halifax Township Board of Supervisors, at the March public meeting, voted to subdivide the park property. Subdivision breaks out the roughly 2-acre area which includes the 200+ year old 1820's Sweitzer Bank Barn and companion farmhouse, 1958 Yeager House and outbuildings, visitor picnic area, gardens, and FoFHP events area, giving this area its own seperate deed. Once the deed subdivision is complete the township intends to sell the 2 acres to a private entity as a "business opportunity". This process is currently ongoing and the fate of this area is unknown. The remaining 172 acres are not part of a sale.

FoFHP Plans and Goals -
FoFHP has many preservation, history, environmental, and education initiatives, events, and programs always in process for the park. FoFHP works hard to make Fort Halifax Park the best park it can be for everyone. Check out our Strategic Plan for the park here

FoFHP is proud to host successful archaeology field schools with Juniata College. The June '24 field school students found additional artifacts and another amazing stone foundation inside the Fort Halifax (1756) wall area (the orientation of the walls is still being determined). FoFHP is proud to partner with Dr. Burns and Juniata College, and those organizations who provide grant funding, making field schools possible. We look forward to future digs!

FoFHP finished an important memorial in June '24. We hosted another Dauphin County Techniclal School Heritage Project as part of a skilled trades program partnership. This year nine students, their instructor, partners, and volunteers constructed a beautiful memorial deck to honor deceased Halifax Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Decker. An ADA compliant ramp and door have been added, too, to complete some ADA compliance for Yeager House. We continue to be amazed by this education partnership with DCTS! We are looking forward to many more partnership projects with them!

Would you like to help and be part of all these exciting programs and future plans? It's easy to become a member. Feel free to contact us via email or phone 223-237-0988, with any questions you may have. Thank you for your support!

Friends of Fort Halifax Park, Inc. receives Community Initiative Award:
Read about this award that FoFHP, Inc. is honored to have received here.
Thank you to the PA State Historic Preservation Office, Joe Baker, Dr. Jonathan Burns, our members, and community!

Additional News of Interest:

Fort Halifax Park chosen as Preservation Pennsylvania - PA at Risk site! Read more here!
National Register of Historic Places - FoFHP received official notification in December 2020 that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has designated Fort Halifax Park and Farmstead eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. This designation qualifies Fort Halifax Park (Halifax Township, Owner) for preservation grants that could help with the stabilization, restoration, and preservation of the 1800's Schweitzer Bank Barn, companion Farmhouse, and all outbuildings. The Sycamore Allee, part of Route 147 that bisects Fort Halifax is already on the National Register.