A Forbes family member will be on Forbes Trail next week.

Dr. Lawrence John Forbes Keppie, a direct descendant of Gen. John Forbes, will be at the Fort Ligonier Museum at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to dedicate a Forbes Trail marker.

Dr. Keppie is a historian and a retired professor of Roman archaeology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He will unveil the marker and talk about his renowned ancestor.

In 1758, during the French and Indian War, British Gen. Forbes ordered construction of a new road across Pennsylvania. It went through the mountains east of the Ligonier Valley, then through the valley, and is primarily Route 30.

Fort Ligonier was under construction Oct. 12 of that year when a battle broke out. The British defeated the French after a four-hour battle.

Earlier that year, Gen. Forbes had been ordered to seize Fort Pitt, 50 miles to the west. On Nov. 25, after the French abandoned it, Gen. Forbes took control of the fort.

Ligonier and Pittsburgh are marking their 250th anniversaries, and the dedication of this marker is a collaboration between the Ligonier 250 Committee and organizers of Pittsburgh's celebration.

Permanent bronze markers also will be dedicated next week at war sites in Pittsburgh, Bedford, Carlisle and Philadelphia.

Dr. Keppie also will participate in the opening and closing ceremonies of Fort Ligonier Days, Oct. 10 through 12.