Grantee Partner Spotlight: Les Amis Du Fort De Chartres

Q: What is the most important thing that people should know about your work?

Jennifer Duensing: The people who do the teaching are actually from all over the country, and many of them learned the art form they teach from an ancestor. It was passed down to them. From the blacksmiths to the coopers who make the barrels. And others are just history enthusiasts, who saw this done, and it sparked an interest. 

This time is the 53rd Rendezvous, and we have some demonstrators who have been coming since the beginning; now their children are doing it. One of the coolest things is to see little kids running around in 18th-century clothing! We love that.

We’re also unique due to our location. One of the only reconstructed stone forts in the U.S. Our town is 300 years old. It has the oldest building in Illinois, the powder magazine, which is 300 years old. The whole area here was developed due to Fort du Chartres. We’re also near Kaskaskia, which is where Illinois began. Our support group not only does the educational programs, but we do the fundraising for the site itself – for the repairs, say, as well as the tourism promotion. We do all the above for the site as a whole package. There are many elements involved in what we do. And the site, which is in the middle of nowhere, brings in more than 50,000 people a year.

Q: How did you arrive at doing what you do?

Jennifer Duensing: I grew up in this area, so as a child and young adult visited the Fort all the time. My husband is a reenactor, and his dad was the site superintendent, so he basically grew up at the Fort. Ten years ago I started volunteering at the garden. Carol Kuntz and I became good friends, and there was a need for a support group. So in 2015 we reformed and revitalized the support group.

Those of us who live here tend to take the Fort for granted; it’s always been here. We don’t realize until we go out into the world what we have here. We have this big stone fort, yet there are people nearby, in Waterloo, who have never been to see it. It’s humbling when people come from out of town or across the state and remind us of the importance of what we have here.

Q: Who makes your work possible?

Jennifer Duensing: We have a wide array of collaborative partners and sponsors; we wouldn’t be anywhere without them. Illinois Humanities is a huge part of that. We also have huge support from our local legislators and our community. And then the volunteers from across the country. We are completely financed through donations, grants, and sponsorships. If we didn’t have these, we couldn’t do anything. We have support from the French Colonial Historical Society, the Colonial Dames of America, and the General Society of Colonial Wars. And a lot of support from local businesses in general.

UPCOMING EVENT:

The 53rd Annual Fort de Chartres Rendezvous
Saturday | June 3, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday | June 4, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The two-day popular annual Rendezvous, usually held the first weekend in June, features shooting competitions, military drills, dancing, music, food, and traders of eighteenth-century-style goods.

The event is open and free to general public with special event parking for this event just $5 a car. Donations welcomed.