History will come alive this weekend when the Fort Mims Restoration Association hosts its annual Fort Mims Reenactment and Living History Weekend.

The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31, marking the 212th anniversary of the 1813 Fort Mims Massacre.

The two-day program will features daily battle reenactments, 1800s-era crafts, living history demonstrations and concessions. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday. Visitors can watch the Battle of Burnt Corn at 11 a.m. followed by the Battle of Fort Mims at 2 p.m. each day. On-site parking will be available, with off-site shuttle service operating Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

Boat tours of the Alabama River Delta, offered by Blakeley Park, will run Friday through Sunday. Tours include stops at the Mims Ferry site, Nannahubba Island, the mouth of Holley Creek and Boatyard Lake. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (251) 626-0798.

The massacre at Fort Mims on Aug. 30, 1813, was one of the most significant battles of the Creek War. More than 500 militia members, settlers and enslaved people were killed when Red Stick warriors stormed the fort at midday. The attack followed years of conflict within the Creek Nation, which had split over how to deal with American expansion. The Red Sticks resisted integration with European-American settlers while other Creek leaders favored adopting some of their customs.

News of the massacre spread quickly, fueling U.S. military retaliation under Gen. Andrew Jackson. Within a year, Jackson's forces defeated the Red Sticks at Horseshoe Bend and the Creek leaders signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson, surrendering 20 million acres of land.

The Fort Mims site is about 12 miles north of Stockton. From Highway 59, take County Road 80 west for three miles, then turn right onto Fort Mims Road. The historic grounds sit just north of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and roughly 90 minutes from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

The event is sponsored by the Fort Mims Restoration Association. For more details, visit www.fortmims.org or follow Fort Mims on Facebook.