Date(s): April 10, 2012 – May 23, 2012
Cost: Free
Time: Tuesdays through Saturdays  9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Heritage Center of Clark County, 117 South Fountain Ave., Springfield, OH, 45502
Phone: (937) 324-0657

Ohio Civil War 150 Traveling Exhibit.

The Ohio Historical Society, in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council and American Electric Power sponsored development of Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later, a special panel exhibit produced for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War. The exhibit explores Ohio’s participation in the war and focuses on individuals’ choices that impacted local communities and the course of the war.

Three themes – Democracy, Transformations and Memory – are used to reveal Civil War stories that impacted Ohio in the 19th century to present day. Through the use of these themes the exhibit explores topics such as civil rights, political dissent, pacifism, religion and popular culture, and reveals patterns in our county’s response to those topics throughout history.

The Civil War began in April 1861 and Ohio was deeply involved, providing General Ulysses S. Grant and many other Union officers, along with 300,000 Union troops to the war effort. This exhibit will allow Ohio families an opportunity to learn more about Ohio’s impact on the war.

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Now, decades later, a statewide initiative to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio, 2011 to 2015, is being led by the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee and the Ohio Historical Society. American Electric Power and the Ohio Humanities Council are sponsors of the initiative.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th Anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org.

It is difficult to pinpoint the origins of modern day baseball to one specific sport, one specific moment, or one specific man.  The game borrows from English games such as cricket, rounders, and stoolball, as well as early American games called cat-ball and town ball.  On September 23, 1845, a New Yorker by the name of Alexander Cartwright was credited with publishing the “20 Original Rules of Baseball.”  These rules became known as the Knickerbocker Rules (named after Cartwright’s New York Knickerbocker team), and Cartwright’s association with them earned him the nickname, “The Father of Baseball.”  The first recorded game played under these new rules of base ball occurred on June 19, 1846.  In the first few years of the Knickerbocker Rules, the game was regionalized to teams primarily from the New York and New England areas, but Cartwright reportedly introduced the game to many American towns during his “gold rush” trip to California.  In 1857, sixteen clubs from New York City sent delegates to a convention in an effort to standardize the rules of the game.  That same year, the first governing body for baseball, the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), was established. 

“Baseball During the Civil War”

The American Civil War was actually a boon for the fledgling sport of base ball (so described as two words in most publications until the change to a single word somewhere between 1910 and 1930).  Although the NABBP was founded by clubs from the New York Cityarea, base ball was being played in the north and the south during the War Between the States.  The movements of soldiers over great distances, as well as the exchange of prisoners, helped spread the game’s rules and style of play over a wide area of the country and among men from a variety of cultural backgrounds.  The game provided soldiers with a means of escape from the hardships of war, and in so doing, a foundation was planted for the sport to become America’s pastime.  The sport allowed a further kinship to be developed between the men, the importance of teamwork was accentuated, and the boosts in morale that the game afforded helped to weave the game of base ball into the lives of Civil War soldiers.  A private in the 10^thMassachusetts wrote:

“The parade ground has been a busy place for a week or so past, ball-playing having become a mania in camp.  Officer and men forget, for a time, the differences in rank and indulge in the invigorating sport with a schoolboy’s ardor.” 

Some notable Civil War era base ball contests that have been chronicled include one of the biggest sporting events in 19^th century America which saw the 165^th New York Infantry take on another New York Regiment’s All-Star Nine in front of 40,000 troops on Christmas Day 1862 at Hilton Head,South Carolina.  In 1863, two teams of Union soldiers began a game inAlexandria,Texas, but the game was interrupted by a Confederate attack.  According to Union Solider George Putnam:

“…the centerfielder was hit and was captured, left and right fielders managed to get back to our line.  The attack was repelled without serious difficulty, but we had lost not only our centerfield, but the only baseball in Alexandria,Texas.”

In 1864, POWs from the 11^thMississippi staged a series of contests at a Union Prison Camp in Sandusky, Ohio, billed as the Confederate Club vs. Southerners.  And in 1865, soldiers from both sides played a game of base ball to pass the time following General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

After the Civil War ended, men returned to their homes, north and south, to share their knowledge of the new game they had learned.  Organized base ball grew in popularity and served as a means to unite a country that was so torn apart by the brutal five year conflict.  Although the NABBP rules forbade non-amateurs from competing, some clubs paid players, either secretly or indirectly, to play the game of base ball.  To discourage this underhanded behavior, the NABBP established a professional category of competition during a December 1868 meeting.  As a result, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became base ball’s first all professional team with ten salaried players in 1869.  When the National League was established in 1876 with eight charter teams and every player being paid a salary, the sport of base ball had not only cemented its presence as the national pastime, but it also had established a foundation that would become intertwined into the American economy.

“The Myth of Abner Doubleday”

Abner Doubleday is probably most widely associated with stories that pinpoint him as the man who invented the game of base ball in a field inCooperstown, New York, in 1839.  Doubleday was born in Balston Spa, New York, in 1819, and he did eventually live in Cooperstown with his uncle and attended a private preparatory high school there.  He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1838, and eventually rose to the rank of Major General.  He allegedly aimed the first cannon that fired the retaliatory strike against the Confederates at Fort Sumter, and at Gettysburg, Doubleday assumed command of the I Corps after the death of General John Reynolds on the first day of fighting.  He was a strong supporter of President Lincoln, and he rode on the train with Lincoln that took the President back to the battlefield for the famous Gettysburg Address. 

In 1905, twelve years after Doubleday’s death, a commission of baseball figures (not baseball historians) was organized by Albert Spalding, a leading sporting goods entrepreneur and sport publisher at the time.  The commission, called the Mills Commission, was formed to determine the true origins of base ball, and it found that Doubleday was indeed the true inventor of base ball.  But the Commission’s conclusions were based mainly on the testimony of one man, a 71 year old mining engineer from Denver, Colorado, named Abner Graves.  Graves claimed to have witnessed the actual formation of the game that Doubleday called “base ball” in 1839, and he further claimed that Doubleday’s game improved on the game of town ball being played by students in Cooperstown.  However, Doubleday was enrolled at West Point at this time and there is no record of his leaving the United States Military Academy for Cooperstown at any point in 1839.  Further, no letters or personal accounts from Doubleday make any mention of the sport of base ball, and no evidence exists that Doubleday made any claim in conversation that he was the man who designed the first field or created the first set of base ball rules. 

It is speculated that the Mills Commission had stumbled upon a convenient and compelling story to describe base ball’s origins.  Even though their evidence was tenuous, at best, the Commission’s conclusion linked a small, rural town inNew Yorkwith a man who invented a pastoral game without the aid of foreign or industrial influence.  Further, the game’s inventor could be described as a true American patriot who graduated fromWest Pointand served heroically in the Civil War and The Mexican War.  Unfortunately, the true story regarding modern baseball’s development lies elsewhere, and Abner Doubleday is very likely not part of the factual history of the game’s origins.

Special thanks to Ken Freeman for writing this article for Ohio Civil War 150. Ken is the Education and Programming Manager at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

Sponsors: The Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation
Location: 6138 Riverview Road, Suite F, Peninsula, OH, 44264

Date(s): March 14, 2012 – April 1, 2012
Cost: Free
Time: Wednesdays through Sundays 11-5
Location: Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation, 6138 Riverview Road, Suite F, Peninsula, OH, 44264
Phone: (330) 657-2528

Ohio Civil War 150 Traveling Exhibit.

The Ohio Historical Society, in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council and American Electric Power sponsored development of Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later, a special panel exhibit produced for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War. The exhibit explores Ohio’s participation in the war and focuses on individuals’ choices that impacted local communities and the course of the war.

Three themes – Democracy, Transformations and Memory – are used to reveal Civil War stories that impacted Ohio in the 19th century to present day. Through the use of these themes the exhibit explores topics such as civil rights, political dissent, pacifism, religion and popular culture, and reveals patterns in our county’s response to those topics throughout history.

The Civil War began in April 1861 and Ohio was deeply involved, providing General Ulysses S. Grant and many other Union officers, along with 300,000 Union troops to the war effort. This exhibit will allow Ohio families an opportunity to learn more about Ohio’s impact on the war.

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Now, decades later, a statewide initiative to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio, 2011 to 2015, is being led by the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee and the Ohio Historical Society. American Electric Power and the Ohio Humanities Council are sponsors of the initiative.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th Anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org.

The new artifacts include:

Lot #38, General Godfrey Weitzel Archive

Civil War and personal archive of Union General Godfrey Weitzel from Cincinnati that documents his military career before, during and after the Civil War.  Weitzel commanded the first Union Army Corps to enter Richmond, Virginia and gave President Abraham Lincoln a tour of the city. The archives documents Weitzel’s participation in events of national and international importance and includes correspondence between Weitzel and other prominent people, such as General Philip Sheridan.

Lot #59, William M. Fisher Letters, 103^rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Collection of 38 letters dating from 1862-1865 by William M. Fisher, a soldier in the 103^rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  Fisher discusses service in the western theater, particularly the Atlanta Campaign, and his personal life in letters that are lengthy and colorful. The battle flag for this unit is located at the Ohio Historical Society.

Lot #60, Levi McConkey Diary, 67^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Civil War diary of Levi McConkey who served in the 67^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  This unit was one of the few Ohio units to serve in the eastern theater where they saw hard service and high casualties.  The story culminates with the 67^th O.V.I. being present at the final surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.  Diary is accompanied by two photographs. The battle flag for this unit is located at the Ohio Historical Society.

Lot#70, Camp Chase Prisoner Register

Register with 450 legible names and physical descriptions of Confederate prisoners from Virginia who were held at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio.  The name of the camp commander, prominent Methodist minister Colonel Granville Moody, is recorded inside the front cover.  Camp Chase was a significant military installation that housed 9,000 Confederate prisoners at its peak.  This collection is a major addition to the Society’s current holdings related to Camp Chase.

The Ohio Historical Society if very excited to bring these items to Ohio. More information on the availability of these artifacts for research will be coming soon.

Sponsors: The Brimfield Historical Society
Location: The Kelso House Museum, 4158 State Route 43, Brimfield, OH, 44240

Date(s): February 1, 2012 – March 6, 2012
Cost: Free
Time: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10-4; Thursdays 10-8; Fridays 10-2; all other days by appointment only.
Location: The Kelso House Museum, 4158 State Route 43, Brimfield, OH, 44240
Phone: (330) 673-1058

Ohio Civil War 150 Traveling Exhibit.

The Ohio Historical Society, in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council and American Electric Power sponsored development of Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later, a special panel exhibit produced for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War. The exhibit explores Ohio’s participation in the war and focuses on individuals’ choices that impacted local communities and the course of the war.

Three themes – Democracy, Transformations and Memory – are used to reveal Civil War stories that impacted Ohio in the 19th century to present day. Through the use of these themes the exhibit explores topics such as civil rights, political dissent, pacifism, religion and popular culture, and reveals patterns in our county’s response to those topics throughout history.

The Civil War began in April 1861 and Ohio was deeply involved, providing General Ulysses S. Grant and many other Union officers, along with 300,000 Union troops to the war effort. This exhibit will allow Ohio families an opportunity to learn more about Ohio’s impact on the war.

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Now, decades later, a statewide initiative to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio, 2011 to 2015, is being led by the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee and the Ohio Historical Society. American Electric Power and the Ohio Humanities Council are sponsors of the initiative.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th Anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org.

Date(s): January 9th, 2012 – January 31st, 2012
Cost: Free
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Carnegie Wing Gallery – John McIntire Library
Phone: 740.453.0391

The Ohio Historical Society, in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council and American Electric Power sponsored development of Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later, a special panel exhibit produced for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War. The exhibit explores Ohio’s participation in the war and focuses on individuals’ choices that impacted local communities and the course of the war.

Three themes – Democracy, Transformations and Memory – are used to reveal Civil War stories that impacted Ohio in the 19th century to present day. Through the use of these themes the exhibit explores topics such as civil rights, political dissent, pacifism, religion and popular culture, and reveals patterns in our county’s response to those topics throughout history.

The Civil War began in April 1861 and Ohio was deeply involved, providing General Ulysses S. Grant and many other Union officers, along with 300,000 Union troops to the war effort. This exhibit will allow Ohio families an opportunity to learn more about Ohio’s impact on the war.

More information can be found at the Muskingum County Library System website: www.muskingumlibrary.org.

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Now, decades later, a statewide initiative to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio, 2011 to 2015, is being led by the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee and the Ohio Historical Society. American Electric Power and the Ohio Humanities Council are sponsors of the initiative.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th Anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org.

Daniel McCook, Sr. who was killed in July 1863 at the Battle of Buffington Island, the only large Civil War battle fought in Ohio. He was one of the famous "Fighting McCooks." See this and more documents related to the McCooks on the archives tours.

Dates and Times:
Museum Collections Facility – Thursday, December 29
6:30-9:00

Archives/Library Stacks – Saturday, January 7
1:30-4:00

Museum Collections Facility – Saturday, January 19
6:30-9:00

Archives/Library Stacks – Saturday, February 25
1:30-4:00

Cost:

Proceeds will benefit the collections preservation and education efforts of the Ohio Historical Society.

Museum Tour – $149.00 per person

Archives/Library Tour – $99.00 per person

Museum/Archives Tour Combination – $209.00 per person

Reservations for “Sneak Peek” Civil War Collections Tours can now be placed online.

Feel free to give us a call at 614.297.2535 or e-mail us at collections@ohiohistory.org for more information! To make reservations call 800-686-1541 or register online through the Ohio History Store.

The Ohio Historical Society and its statewide partners developed the Ohio History Service Corps to promote sustainable community development and heritage tourism in Ohio. The Corps consists of three components: Civil War 150 Leadership Corps, to initiate educational programming, regional special events, and local heritage tourism; Ohio History Tech Corps, to provide digitization of historic resources and develop an oral history program; and Historic Preservation Corps, to inventory historic buildings, support community revitalization, and assist local preservation initiatives.

AmeriCorps members pledge to “get things done” in local communities. In exchange for their service, the members earn a living stipend and may receive an Education Award to further their education or pay off existing school loans. Members receive top-notch training in volunteer management, meeting facilitation, leadership, communication, community development and more.

With service members from Ohio and even Illinois, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Jersey, the Ohio History Service Corps brings enthusiastic young professionals and adults looking for more experience in the history field to the Buckeye State! We now have 21 Ohio History Service Corps members stationed in local communities. Their service term runs from October 5, 2011 through August 31, 2012 and they work about 35-40 hours per week.  To find out about the new members and our partners in your region, visit: www.ohiocivilwar150.org/resources/americorps/

The exhibit, Ohio & the Civil War: 150 Years Later is on display at the Lillian Jones Museum from December 1 through December 31. The museum is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 75 Broadway Street in Jackson. In addition to the traveling exhibit, the Jackson Historical Society and the museum plan to showcase local Civil War artifacts from their own collections.

Ohio Civil War 150 Traveling Exhibit.

The Ohio Historical Society, in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council and American Electric Power sponsored development of Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later, a special panel exhibit produced for the 150th commemoration of the Civil War. The exhibit explores Ohio’s participation in the war and focuses on individuals’ choices that impacted local communities and the course of the war.

Three themes – Democracy, Transformations and Memory – are used to reveal Civil War stories that impacted Ohio in the 19th century to present day. Through the use of these themes the exhibit explores topics such as civil rights, political dissent, pacifism, religion and popular culture, and reveals patterns in our county’s response to those topics throughout history.

More information can be found on the Facebook page for Buckeye Furnace and the Lillian Jones Museum, or by contacting www.lillianjones.museum.com.

The Civil War began in April 1861 and Ohio was deeply involved, providing General Ulysses S. Grant and many other Union officers, along with 300,000 Union troops to the war effort. This exhibit will allow Southeastern Ohio families an opportunity to learn more about Ohio’s impact on the war.

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Now, decades later, a statewide initiative to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Ohio, 2011 to 2015, is being led by the CW150 Advisory committee and the Ohio Historical Society. American Electric Power and the Ohio Humanities Council are sponsors of the initiative.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th Anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org .

Excerpt from the Western Reserve Chronicle, November 13, 1861, p. 2, column 3. To see the full article on Chronicling America, click on the image.

During the Civil War, reports like this were common as newspapers regularly printed news from the warfront, keeping those who remained at home informed about what their family, friends and neighbors were experiencing on the battlefield. With the Ohio Historical Society’s latest contribution to the National Digital Newspaper Program and Chronicling America, these and other stories are now easier than ever to access. Issues from the following Ohio papers are now online and keyword searchable at Chronicling America:

•  Anti-Slavery Bugle (New-Lisbon & Salem) from 1845 to 1861   
• Conservative (McConnelsville) from 1866 to 1871
• South-eastern Independent (McConnelsville) from 1871
• Western Reserve Chronicle and Weekly Transcript of the Times (Warren) from 1855
• Western Reserve Chronicle (Warren) from 1855 to 1873

These papers are the first Civil War era titles from Ohio to be digitized for Chronicling America. They join over 500 newspapers – that’s more than four million pages! – from all over the nation, including 14 others from Ohio, to chronicle United States’ history from 1836 to 1922.

Over the coming months, even more of Ohio’s Civil War newspapers will become digitized and available on Chronicling America through the National Digital Newspaper Program in Ohio.

The National Digital Newspaper Program is a partnership between National Endowment for the Humanities and Library of Congress and state projects to provide enhanced access to United States newspapers published between 1836 and 1922. NEH awards support state projects to select and digitize historically significant titles that are aggregated and permanently maintained by the Library of Congress. As part of the project, the Ohio Historical Society contributed 100,000 newspaper pages to the project over a two year period ending June 2010 and will contribute an additional 100,000 pages by the end of August 2012.

Written by: Jenni Salamon
Project Coordinator, NDNP in Ohio

Reenactors of the 5th U.S.C.T., Company C.

The Friends of Freedom Society, Inc., in collaboration with Joy Armstrong, curator of the Sylvania Historical Village and Heritage Museum, opened the summit Friday evening with a reception.  During the reception, the Fifth U.S.C.T., Company C, a reenactment group, set up camp on the Historical Village grounds.  The reenactors, who portray the lives and service of black men, women, and children during the Civil War, spoke during the reception about their responsibilities as black soldiers and women on the war front.

On Saturday, October 22, the second and final day of the summit began with morning educational sessions that took place at the SouthBriar conference area.  Three local educators and historians presented their findings and scholarship on local Underground Railroad activity, and ways to research, document, and educate about the Underground Railroad.  The presenters included Judy Justus, President of the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum and President of the Wolcott House Guild; Kim Kozbial-Hess, a Toledo Public Schools teacher; and Dr. Janet Rozick, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, University of Toledo.

Miles Lathrop House (Sylvania, OH).

Following the presentations was a guided bus tour of Underground Railroad sites in Maumee and Sylvania.  Sites included,  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Maumee, OH); Amasa Winslow Broom Factory (Maumee, OH); Wolcott House (Maumee, OH); Harroun Farm (Sylvania, OH);  and Miles Lathrop House (Sylvania, OH).  There, summit attendees received an “inside look” into some of the historic places that were a part of Ohio’s Underground Railroad secret network.

Saturday’s evening events began with a dinner and awards program that was followed by a dramatic musical production.  The awards program honored certain individuals for their contributions to keeping Ohio’s Underground Railroad history alive in their communities.   The 2011 award recipients included, Ada Woodson Adams (Stewart, OH), Conductor of the Year Award; Ann Cramer (Athens, OH), Outstanding Contributions to the Underground Railroad Award; Joy Armstrong (Sylvania, OH), Kim Kozbial-Hess (Toledo, OH), Sarah Groves (Sylvania, OH), Yvette Darden (Sandusky, OH), Beverly Reed (Columbus, OH), Joan Southgate (Cleveland, OH), Medals of Honor.  The dramatic performance that closed out the summit was a fascinating portrayal of the lives of three Underground Railroad conductors, a bounty hunter, and runaway slave.  The production moved individuals to tears as it depicted the dangerous and emotional lives and journeys of abolitionists and slaves who sought freedom on the Underground Railroad.

The next Friends of Freedom Society, Inc. summit is set for October 2013.  For more information about the efforts of the Friends of Freedom Society, Inc., or to become a member, visit http://www.ohioundergroundrailroad.org/

8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery

The city of Paducah was an important site during the Civil War, as it was the first city in Kentucky to develop a black regiment.   Other recruitments for black soldiers also took place there, and any slave who enlisted was granted emancipation. Paducah also harbored Fort Anderson, a fort of the Union.  On March 25, 1864, Confederate troops attacked Fort Anderson under the command of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, and the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery played an integral role in fending off the attack.

Are there any black Civil War soldier marker dedications or commemorative events happening in your area?  If so, please contact us at civilwar150@ohiohistory.org and we’ll post it on the website!

Original news article provided by the Kentucky Historical Society: http://history.ky.gov/news.php?articleID=599

Position Description: Ten Civil War 150 (CW150) Leadership Corps members will be hosted at partner sites throughout Ohio. Corps members will serve as the coordinator and information clearinghouse for the Civil War commemoration initiatives in their region and will focus on volunteer recruitment and heritage tourism. Service members assist their host organization and other regional organizations with collaborating and building capacity for educational and public programming; special events, and regional initiatives. Members will provide ideas for, plan and lead three of the following five activities, depending on needs of the region and host site as well as the member’s skills and interest, during their service time: a) A regional volunteer fair, b) Heritage tourism efforts, such as walking or bus tours or packaging with a convention and visitor bureau (CVB) regional organization, c) Application submissions to the Park Service’s Network to Freedom, d) K-12 education outreach, (ex. assisting with History Day; creating teacher resource packages, and/or e) Regional commemoration events. This position is located at the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum.

Program Description: The Ohio Historical Society and its statewide partners developed the Ohio History Service Corps to promote sustainable community development and heritage tourism in Ohio. The Corps consists of three components: Civil War 150 Leadership Corps, to initiate educational programming and regional special events; Ohio History Tech Corps, to provide digitization of historic resources and develop an oral history program; and Historic Preservation Corps, to inventory historic buildings, support community revitalization, and assist local preservation

Program Benefits: AmeriCorps members pledge to “get things done” in local communities. In exchange for their service, the members earn a living stipend, are eligible for health insurance, and may receive an Education Award of $5500 to further their education or pay off existing school loans. Members receive top-notch training in volunteer management, meeting facilitation, leadership, communication, community development and more.

Terms: Car recommended, Permits attendance at school during off hours, Permits working at another job during off hours.
Skills: Communications, Community Organization, Public Speaking, Writing/Editing.
Start Date: 11/1/11
End Date: 9/30/12
Requirements: All applicants must register and apply on http://www.americorps.gov/. To find the listing detailed above, follow this link.
Application Deadline: October 25, 2011
Contact: Mary Cannon
Ohio Historical Society
mcannon@ohiohistory.org
P: 614-297-2392 or 614-297-2342

An important feature of the event was the presence and words of Ohio’s Adjutant General, Major General Deborah A. Ashenhurst who assumed the duties as the Adjutant General, Ohio National Guard, on January 10, 2011. While the Society is honored to be the custodian of the flags, these artifacts are actually part of the collection of the Ohio Adjutant General. This collection includes 553 flags, three quarters of which are from the Civil War.

In attendance were donors who contributed to the Battle Flag General Conservation Fund and those who adopted an individual flag. During the program, the Society recognized the donors of $1,000 and greater who were present:

• The Army of the Ohio
• 4th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Descendants Association
• 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Reenacting Unit
• Ohio Society Children of the American Revolution
• Mark Holbrook, The Ohio Historical Society

Maj. Gen. Deborah A. Ashenhurst (left), Ohio adjutant general, and Sharon Dean (right) Ohio Historical Society director of museum and library services, presents Tom Jahns (second from left) and Bob Minton, representing the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) reenactors, with photos of the conserved flags of the 14th OVI and the 100th OVI on Sep. 25, 2011 at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.

Additionally, the Society expressed gratitude to the numerous honorees who supported the preservation of 19 flags, which have been treated and housed in frames for display purposes. In the process of learning about the intricate preservation process, event attendees learned about the most recent developments in the Save the Flag Campaign, including:

• Two flags have recently returned from the conservator: the 5th United States Colored Troops Flank Marker and the 4th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry (OVC) Regimental Colors. The Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund of the Columbus Foundation (for the 5th USCT Flank Marker) and the Ohio Society Children of the American Revolution & 4th OVC Descendants Association (for the 4th OVC Regimental Colors) donated funds for these flags’ preservation.
• A flag, the 2nd Ohio Veterans Volunteer Cavalry Regimental Colors, has recently gone to the conservator and will return to the Society in June 2012. The conservation of this flag is supported by the Sidney Frohman Foundation of Suffolk, VA and an anonymous donor.
• A flag from the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental Colors has been adopted by the Army of the Ohio, the Army Historical Foundation, and by an individual donor, Jeane H. Candido, of Dublin.
• A flag of the 121st Ohio Volunteer Infantry was adopted by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. The 121st OVI was the regiment of Scotts’ founder, O.M. Scott.

This campaign and the attendees’ donations take on greater significance as Ohioans commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Ohio’s battle flags are a physical representation of Ohioans’ participation in the Civil War and a reminder of the state’s important role in it. Visitors to the Ohio History Center can view 10 of the conserved flags on display in the Follow the Flag exhibit.

The Ohio Battle Flag Collection
The Ohio Battle Flag collection is one of the largest in the country. The Ohio Battle Flag Collection was photographed before preservation in the 1960s. These prints, plus slides showing an artist’s rendition of each flag as it appeared originally, are available for viewing online. Fight for the Colors provides access to images of and information about Ohio battle flags. You also may order copies of photographs or slides by calling the Society’s Photo Duplication Office at (614) 297-2543.

The flags were gathered in the late nineteenth century at the Ohio Statehouse and exhibited there, first in the Flag Room, then in the Rotunda. In the mid-1960s, most of the flags were conserved under the direction of a Flag Preservation Committee and the National Guard. The technique involved adhering a flag to fine nylon fabric with a plastic-like substance (polyvinyl alcohol or PVA) in order to provide stability and support for the flag. About half of the flags were mounted for hanging, while the rest either were not treated or were treated and furled around flag poles.

The Society exhibited the hanging and furled flags for public viewing until 1988. Over time, however, the PVA became brittle and the nylon fabric supports began to curl and fray. Due to concern about their condition, the flags were removed to the Society’s storage facility, where they are protected from dust, light and handling while they await new conservation treatment.

Save the Flags Campaign
Funds raised by the Save the Flags Campaign will conserve the Ohio Battle Flag Collection. The goals of the campaign are to: 1) use new conservation techniques to save the flags from further deterioration; 2) make them available again for research examination; and 3) provide for possible exhibit, under suitable conditions for conservation. Treatment will involve removing the earlier PVA treatment and mounting the fragile flags in new supports. A conservator’s examination revealed that a Civil War silk battle flag is estimated to cost between $5,000 and $30,000; the cost varies based on the condition and size of the flag. To donate to the Save the Flag Campaign, please contact the Ohio Historical Society’s Office of Institutional Advancement at (614) 297-2320 or (800) 647-6921.

About the Ohio Historical Society
The Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology, natural history and historic places. The Society oversees a network of 58 historic sites across Ohio. For more information on the sites, visit: www.ohiohistory.org/places/name.html. The Ohio History Center in Columbus houses the Ohio Historical Society, the State Museum, the Archives/Library, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, the headquarters for the sites and the headquarters of the Ohio Village. Membership in the Society provides free admission to all 58 sites in the statewide network of historic sites. : www.OhioHistory.org/membership.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s birth and the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War. The Ohio Historical Society and the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House, who manage the site for the society, have embarked on a series of improvements to the Stowe House to underscore its significance as a Cincinnati cultural and historic landmark and expand its offerings to the public. To underscore these activities, the Ohio Historical Society and the Friends will sponsor a concert of Civil War music Saturday, Oct. 1, at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, featuring the Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band, pianist Jacqueline Schwab, the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers and a special appearance by Cincinnati journalist and human rights activist Nick Clooney.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati

Concert Artists
The Civil War, Ken Burns’s famous PBS documentary, featured a Grammy-winning musical score performed in large part by Ungar and Mason and Schwab. Ungar composed the haunting melody Ashokan Farewell, the musical hallmark of the series. Ungar and Mason are one of the most celebrated duos in American acoustic music, well known for their appearances on A Prairie Home Companion, their own live radio program Dancing on the Air on WAMC in Albany, film soundtracks such as Legends of the Fall and Brother’s Keeper and the fiddle and dance camps they conduct in the Catskills. They will be joined by their daughter Ruthy and her husband Michael Merenda for this performance.

The emotional and expressive piano of Jacqueline Schwab is featured in many of Burns’s productions. She performs solo piano concerts of vintage American and traditional English, Irish and Scottish music, creating the intimate feeling of an old-fashioned parlor setting. Schwab has toured the United States and England as a solo pianist and with Bare Necessities, a quartet known nationwide for its unique presentation of English country dance music. She performed at the White House for President Clinton in 1997 to celebrate Burns’s Lewis and Clark series and at the Smithsonian in 2000 to celebrate its exhibition on the presidency. In May 2009, she accompanied Scottish singer Jean Redpath on the Late Show with David Letterman.

The Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers, from Covington, Ky., will lend their distinctive a capella jubilee-style harmony to the performance. The group, well known to Cincinnati audiences, began singing at the Ninth Street Baptist Church in Covington 24 years ago and specializes in gospel, patriotic and R&B music. They have performed in churches, secular music venues and on television throughout the United States, Canada and Spain and have appeared at the Library of Congress, the Lowell Folk Festival and on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

Nick Clooney is well known as a print and broadcast journalist, author and activist. Following a distinguished career in radio and television in Kentucky, Ohio and California, he became a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and host of cable television’s American Movie Classics. He later joined the faculty of American University’s School of Communication and was Distinguished Journalist in Residence at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. More recently he has achieved prominence as a human rights activist and advocate for the people of Darfur.

Location and Tickets
The concert takes place Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Harriet Tubman Theatre at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at 50 E. Freedom Way in downtown Cincinnati, and will be followed by a reception with the performers for all ticketholders. Tickets are $50. Proceeds benefit new educational programming at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

Click here to purchase tickets online. For more information, call 800.647.6921 or 614.297.2308 or e-mail kwyatt@ohiohistory.org.

The Concert is sponsored in part by the Ohio Historical Society, the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House, CET Public Television, Cincinnati Public Radio, ArtsWave, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and generous individual donors.

Photograph of an Unidentified Union Officer

This photograph features an officer with a rather impressive beard. Based on the gentleman’s jacket and shoulder marks, we are fairly certain that he was an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War. However, we can not see the shoulder marks clearly enough to determine his rank. Based on what is visible, we think it is quite possible that he was a colonel or general. Assuming that he was from Ohio, that does not help us to narrow his possible identity by much as there were hundreds of Union Army generals and colonels from Ohio.

We have compared this photograph to those of a some high ranking Ohio officers who became prominent in Ohio and national politics after the Civil War, but so far this  exercise  has only produced a list of people whom we believe the photograph is not.

We welcome your comments and questions below.

Do you have a photograph of an unidentified soldier or civilian from the war? Are you unsure if your photo dates back to the Civil War? Send it in to civilwar150@ohiohistory.org and we’ll post it on the website!

This post was originally written   by  L. Wood, Curator for Visual Resources at the Ohio Historical Society, for the Ohio Historical Society’s Collections Blog.  

Oberlin Heritage Center Approved to Host AmeriCorps Volunteer for Second Year

The Oberlin Heritage Center will host an Ohio History Corps AmeriCorps service volunteer for the second year as part of a program launched in 2010 by the Ohio Historical Society  and the Ohio Community Service Council. Twenty-one trained AmeriCorps members will be placed in communities across the State for the next year. The Ohio History Corps includes three service areas: the Civil War 150 Leadership Corps, the Historic Preservation Corps, and the Technology Corps. The Oberlin Heritage Center will be home base to one full-time AmeriCorps member of the Civil War 150 Leadership Corps.

During the 2010-2011 year, Karyn Norwood, of Bucksport, Maine, held the position. In addition to developing the new “Soldiers and Civilians Civil War History Walk,” and designing a children’s week-long Civil War Era day camp for the Oberlin Heritage Center, Karyn assisted dozens of other communities throughout northeast Ohio in making plans for commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Oberlin Heritage Center received a $2,000 grant from The Nord Family Foundation to support its costs to take part in the program in 2010.

Executive Director Pat Murphy commented that “This program offers a great professional development opportunity for those interested in history, historic preservation, heritage education, and the museum fields. We are very proud that the Oberlin Heritage Center was selected to participate for a second year, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Ohio Historical Society on this project. Having an AmeriCorps member as part of our team has helped the Heritage Center better serve our community and build partnerships with others in the region and State to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.”

All AmeriCorps members working with the Ohio History Service Corps receive a monthly stipend, health insurance, and upon completion of the program, an additional educational award that can be used for college, graduate school or to pay off existing school loans. Applicants interested in the Oberlin Heritage Center’s position, or in any of the other History Service Corps posts created throughout the state of Ohio, can log in and create an account at https://my.americorps.gov to complete an application by September 9, 2011. The term of service is from October 2011 through August 2012. More information is available on the AmeriCorps website or by calling Mary Cannon, AmeriCorps Project Director, at the Ohio Historical Society at 614-297-2392 or sending an e-mail to her at mcannon@Ohiohistory.org.

History Unfolds in “Real Time” via Downloadable  Harper’s Weekly – the Civil War Years.

Harper's Weekly Cover (From Ohio Memory)

This year is the 150^th anniversary of the crucible event in American history, the Civil War. E-book and E-magazine publisher NOVOInk have teamed with historian Rick Marschall to present readers an exciting and accessible window to the causes and controversies, the battles and leaders, of the War Between the States.

Harper’s Weekly was the premier news magazine of the day. The best writers, artists, and war correspondents made every battle and event immediate for its readers. Now it is possible to re-live those momentous events through the best in new technology – regular downloads of every Harper’s Weekly magazine!

Subscribers will receive their issues 150 years after the original publications, allowing them to experience the “current events” of news, interviews, analysis, profiles, even vintage advertising… and classic artwork, portraits, battle scenes, and maps.

Every monthly download gives the reader 4 issues from the month’s issues…exactly 150 years after it happened.

Writers like Charles Dickens, George William Curtis, and Walt Whitman were all mainstays in the pages of Harper’s Weekly.  Prominent artists such as Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast.  Meticulous woodcuts of portraits and battle scenes captured by photographers like Matthew Brady are in every issue, also. (The woodcut illustrations alone make it worth the price.)

Harper’s Weekly-the Civil War Years has been scanned and restored from two complete file runs in the Marschall collection. It’s in beautiful and readable condition.

•   Every download installment includes bonus Added Content, putting events in perspective, and informing readers of behind-the-scenes facts about Harper’s Weekly and the life and times of America.
• And for readers who wish to acquire prints, matted artwork, and other custom orders, including print copies, there is a link to exclusive offers from Rosebud Archives.
• The subscription rate is only $25/year! (Single issues, each containing an entire month’s issues of Harper’s Weekly,are $4.00.)
• When you sign up, you’ll get April 1865 (four vintage Harper’s Weekly magazines)  for free!
• The issues can be downloaded directly to your computer or your e-book reading device.
• Go to: www.novoink.com/harpersweekly to subscribe and learn more.

There is a dedicated website for Harper’s Weekly-the Civil War Years, http://www.harpersweekly-thecivilwaryears.com, and a Harper’s Weekly Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/HarpersWeekly

Upload Lesson Plan: The Battle of Saltville  [PDF]

This lesson plan was written by Paul LaRue and placed second in the 2010-2011 Best Lesson Plan Contest.

Find the “Battle of Saltville” Lesson Plan here.

Read more about The Best Lesson Plan contest.

Civil War Trust:  http://www.civilwar.org

The Ohio Historical Society and its statewide partners developed the Ohio History Service Corps to promote sustainable community development and heritage tourism in Ohio. The Corps consists of three components: Civil War 150 Leadership Corps, to initiate educational programming and regional special events; Ohio History Tech Corps, to provide digitization of historic resources and develop an oral history program; and Historic Preservation Corps, to inventory historic buildings, support community revitalization, and assist local preservation initiatives.

AmeriCorps members pledge to “get things done” in local communities. In exchange for their service, the members earn a living stipend and may receive an Education Award to further their education or pay off existing school loans. Members receive top-notch training in volunteer management, meeting facilitation, leadership, communication, community development and more.

We are now accepting applications for the Ohio History Service Corps! The service term runs from October 5, 2011 through August 31, 2012.   If you would like to join this exciting program and find out more about each position, apply at www.americorps.gov. The deadline to apply is September 9, 2011. For more information, please call 614-297-2342 or email cw150@ohiohistory.org.

TIP: Go to https://my.americorps.gov/​mp/listing/publicRequestSe​arch.do and enter “Program Type: AmeriCorps State”, “State: Ohio”, “Program Name: [enter Civil War 150, Ohio History Service Corps, or Tech]“.

Our 2010-2011 AmeriCorps members! L-R, Back-Nick Napoli, Katie Dallos, Matthew Strobel, Aaron Booth,Katlyn Smith, Devin Miles, Amy Rohmiller, Chris Truex, Jodie McFarland.Front- Jessica Wobig, Callie McCune, Rachel Doddato, Sonja Koehler, JenGariety, Emily VanDoren, Karyn Norwood, Carla Zikursh. Not Pictured:Jessica Wilhelmus

Our 2010-2011 AmeriCorps members! L-R, Back-Nick Napoli, Katie Dallos, Matthew Strobel, Aaron Booth, Katlyn Smith, Devin Miles, Amy Rohmiller, Chris Truex, Jodie McFarland. Front- Jessica Wobig, Callie McCune, Rachel Doddato, Sonja Koehler, Jen Gariety, Emily VanDoren, Karyn Norwood, Carla Zikursh. Not Pictured: Jessica Wilhelmus

Our members spent the year organizing Civil War events and promoting Ohio’s Civil War sites; digitizing Civil War documents and artifacts to make them accessible to the public; and surveying historic sites in Ohio and promoting historic preservation efforts. Many of the AmeriCorps members will remain involved in the history field through another year of service, continuing their education or working with local history organizations. However the members spend their time, we know they will be history leaders and wish them nothing but the best!

Thank you to Ohio History Service Corps Partners and Host Sites:
Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau
City of Cincinnati
Cleveland Landmarks Commission
Columbus Landmarks Foundation
Dennison Railroad Depot Museum
Downtown Mansfield, Inc.
Heritage Ohio
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Oberlin Heritage Center
Piqua Public Library
Preservation Ohio
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Quaker Heritage Center at Wilmington College
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
South East Regional Library System
Wood County Historical Center
Youngstown State University

Philip H.   Sheridan was major figure in the military history of the United States in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Major General Phillip H. Sheridan (Photo courtesy of the National Archives)

Sheridan was born on March 6, 1831, in Albany, New York. His parents had immigrated to the United States in the year before Sheridan’s birth. In 1832, the Sheridans settled in Somerset, Ohio. Philip Sheridan’s father, like many other Irish immigrants, found employment on the canals and railroads. He was often away from home, leaving Philip to be raised by his mother. He attended common schools and, beginning in 1845, found employment as a clerk in local stores. Sheridan received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1848. He was suspended for the 1851-1852 school year for a conflict with another student. He graduated in 1853. He had military assignments across the United States, including Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, Oregon, and California. By the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Sheridan had attained the rank of captain.

Sheridan served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In the first year of the conflict, Sheridan served principally in Missouri as a quartermaster with the Army of the Southwest. In 1862, he participated in the Union’s offensive into western Tennessee and Mississippi. He was commissioned a colonel in May and then led a cavalry brigade in several skirmishes in Missouri. By the fall of 1862, Sheridan was promoted to brigadier-general and was operating with the Army of the Ohio. He commanded the Eleventh Division and participated in the Battle of Perryville. Following the dissolution of the Army of the Ohio, Sheridan became commander of the Army of the Cumberland’s Third Division and was promoted to the rank of major general. In 1863, he participated in the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga and helped secure eastern Tennessee for the Union.

In April 1864, Sheridan became the commander of all cavalry forces operating with the Army of the Potomac. While he had demonstrated his competence on the battlefield well before this point, it was Sheridan’s activities with the Army of the Potomac that earned him fame as a military leader. Sheridan drove General Jubal Early’s Confederate army from the Shenandoah Valley in the fall of 1864. He turned the Battle of Cedar Creek from a Union defeat into a victory by rallying Northern soldiers fleeing from the fight. His actions at Cedar Creek were immortalized in a poem, “Sheridan’s Ride.” In the years immediately following the Civil War, schoolteachers often had their students recite this poem. After completing his campaign against Early, Sheridan and his command participated in the siege of Petersburg and the surrender of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

Following the Civil War, Sheridan commanded the Military Division of the Gulf of Mexico from 1865 to 1867. In March 1867, he became commander of the Fifth Military District of the South. The United States Congress, against the wishes of President Andrew Johnson, had divided the South into military districts. The Congress wanted to maintain a military presence, primarily to maintain law and order and to defend African Americans from southern whites in the states that had seceded from the Union in 1860 and 1861. Sheridan commanded troops in the Fifth Military District for seven months in 1867. Following this assignment, Sheridan took part in the Indian wars then underway in much of the Western United States.

Upon General William T. Sherman’s retirement in 1883, Sheridan became the commander of the entire United States Army. He died five years later, on August 5, 1888, after becoming ill while traveling in the West.

Source: Ohio History Central

For the fourth year, the Civil War Trust, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the hallowed ground of Civil War battlefields, and History ® have teamed up to honor some of America’s most innovative and inspiring history teachers. The Best Lesson Plan Contest offers cash prizes to teachers who use primary source materials and a healthy dose of creativity to bring 19th-century history alive in 21st-century classrooms.

“A great teacher can instill a life-long love of history in the lives of countless children,” said Civil War Trust president James Lighthizer. “We are incredibly grateful that so many outstanding educators are willing to share their proven tips and techniques with us so that we can improve the overall quality of history education by spreading their success.”

Dr. Libby O’Connell, Chief Historian and SVP of Corporate Outreach for History ®, concurred, saying: History ® is proud to join the Civil War Trust in honoring these inspirational educators who have created outstanding Civil War lesson plans. Their innovative lessons provide excellent models for other educators as they teach about this critical era in U.S. history.”

This year’s grand prize winner was Mr. Warner Ferratier of Central High School in Champaign, Ill. His lesson, entitled “Remembering the Fallen,” is designed to encourage older students to examine the memorials placed on battlefields in memory of those who died in combat. Beyond describing the themes that appear in these markers, students are also asked to compare and contrast Union and Confederate memorialization efforts.

Second place went to Mr. Paul LaRue of Washington High School in Washington Court House, Ohio, for “The Battle of Saltville.” His lesson uses primary documents related to the October 1864 southwestern Virginia engagement, to examine the complexities of the African American Civil War experience. Ultimately, high school students are asked to evaluate whether the fighting amounted to a battle, a massacre or somehow both.

Ms. Cheryle Hodges of Courthouse Road Elementary in Spotsylvania, Va., earned third place for her lesson “A Civil War Overview.” This lesson offers younger students a chance to participate in a variety of activities over three class sessions to gain a solid grounding in Civil War history.

Entries are available on the Trust’s website, as part of the organization’s commitment to sharing proven classroom techniques with educators, free-of-charge. In addition to individual lesson plans, teachers may also download the organization’s comprehensive two-week Civil War Curriculum, available at three grade levels. For more information on Trust education initiatives, please visit their website.

The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 30,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Learn more at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

Article courtesy of The Civil War Trust.

The Civil War 150 Advisory Committee includes 18 men and women with diverse backgrounds, who have a deep interest in the state’s Civil War heritage. Established by Gov. Ted Strickland in 2009, the committee provides guidance to the Ohio Historical Society on programs and activities at both the state and local levels. Meeting quarterly, the group will serve until the end 2015.

Joining the standing committee are:
Susan Fryer is Executive Director of the Greater Licking County Convention and Visitors Bureau. An avid supporter of her community’s heritage tourism, Susan spearheaded a collaboration between the Visitors Bureau and over 25 museums, libraries, universities as well as other local organizations to create the Licking County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, which developed numerous events, a passport program, and a commemorative guidebook envied by Visitors Bureaus across the state.

Carol Lasser is a professor at Oberlin College and has a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University. She has written widely on women and gender in nineteenth-century America for multiple publications and has served as an evaluator for Teaching American History grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Fredric Lynch serves as Senior Vice Commander of the Department of Ohio, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War and is editor of The Buckeye Bugle, the department’s newsletter.   This patriotic and educational organization seeks to preserve the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic and to care for GAR memorials and identify the location of union veterans’ gravesites. An Ohio native, Fred served 26 years as a U.S. Air Force Officer and served as emergency preparedness program manager in California before returning to Ohio in 2008. Fred is replacing Chuck Reeves on the committee.

Kim A. Robinson serves as President and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. A 28-year veteran of P&G, Kim retired as Vice President of Customer Business Development in February, 2010. Kim joined the Freedom Center in April, 2010 as Director of Advancement and became President and CEO July 1, 2011. Kim is replacing Don Murphy on the committee.

New liaisons were also added to the committee to provide additional support and advise on behalf of their organizations. These liaisons include:

Janet Ingraham Dwyer serves youth services librarians of Ohio as Library Consultant for the State Library of Ohio. With Janet’s help, the State Library partnered with the Ohio Historical Society to promote the Civil War commemoration to libraries across the state. In addition, she oversees the Choose to Read Ohio program, which includes three Civil War-themed books in 2011 for various ages.

Joshua Mann serves as Sergeant First Class and historian for the Army National Guard. Josh continues to work with OHS on oral history projects and Civil War battle flag conservation efforts on behalf of The Adjutant General’s Office. In addition, he assisted the Committee in organizing a successful Civil War commemoration kickoff event at the Ohio Statehouse in 2011.

See discussion notes and handouts from the July 15, 2011 meeting.

About the Civil War 150

Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a profound influence on American history. Decades later, Gov. Ted Strickland wants to make sure that all Ohioans remember the past of their great state and the sacrifices that were made to preserve the Union. He chose the Ohio Historical Society to lead the effort because the state history organization is “uniquely positioned” to direct the initiative.

In addition to establishing the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee, the historical society has organized a statewide network of organizations and historic sites so that the Civil War tribute can be organized seamlessly. One goal is to raise awareness of the sesquicentennial and encourage Ohioans to visit the many Civil War sites across the state.

For more information about Ohio’s Civil War 150th anniversary commemoration, special events and more, visit www.ohiocivilwar150.org. The Web site is a collection of information as well as a dynamic tool for the public, educators and local history groups to collaborate and share their knowledge of Ohio’s fascinating Civil War history.

The Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, natural history, archaeology and historic architecture.   For more information about programs and events, visit www.ohiohistory.org.

Opening July 1st is The American Soldier: A Photographic Tribute From the Civil War to Iraq, a traveling exhibit that runs through December 30, 2011, plus two longer-term exhibits: Follow the Flag and Over Here, Over There.

“The new interactive exhibits feature items you can touch and work with on your own as well as photographs that will take your breath away- especially those in The American Soldier,” says Sharon Dean, director of museum and library services. “They’ll draw you in emotionally and make you ponder what you would do in these situations.”

American Soldier

Anger and frustration, humor and beauty, camaraderie and death, victory and defeat- the journey of Americans at war runs the gamut of experiences and emotions. The American Soldier: A Photographic Tribute From the Civil War to Iraq is a tribute to the American soldier that also highlights the way in which photography and photographers have shaped history over the past 150 years.

Beginning with the Civil War, cameras have been notebooks for history, and photographers have inspired us to reflect on the sacrifices soldiers have made and are still making today in Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps even more remarkable is the way photographers forever shaped the way we think about what it means to fight but also why we fight, as well as what the words courage, patriotism and justice really mean.

The exhibit comprises 116 enlarged photographs taken during the Civil War, Spanish American War, Boxer Rebellion, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, and in the streets of Baghdad. They clearly portray soldiers’ harrowing challenges in situations in which few of us ever find ourselves.

“Photography made war immediate. It made it personal, especially as soldiers began to use cameras to record their own experiences,” says Sharon Dean, Ohio Historical Society director of museum and library services. “It was no longer just the fantasy of valor, gallantry and honor. War was and is messy and complicated.”

The 4,400 square-foot exhibit, divided in to nine sections, offers an chronological view of the American soldier, beginning with photos from the Civil War. Exquisitely produced images of everyone from veterans to green recruits put viewers into a wide range of experiences that soldiers face in the line of duty. Some of the photographs offer direct, one-on-one eye contact with soldiers, some place viewers in intense moments of combat and others simply say more than a thousand words ever could.

The American Soldier is curated and produced by Cyma Rubin, who brought the popular exhibit Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs to the Ohio History Center in 2008. The exhibit is sponsored by Business of Entertainment, Inc.; EADS North America, second-largest aerospace and defense company in the world; the John B. Stetson Co.; ArmorSource LLC; Conestoga; The Columbus Dispatch; Ohio Magazine; and 104.9 The River.

For more information on The American Soldier  exhibit, please visit  ohiohistory.org/americansoldier.

Follow the Flag

In the new exhibit Follow the Flag, see ten meticulously restored battle flags, fruit of the Ohio Historical Society’s 10-year-old Save the Flags campaign, accompanied by stories of those who lived through America’s epic war, told in their own words. Learn what the flags represented to the brave Ohioans who carried them into battle.

Since 2001, the Ohio Historical Society, designated caretaker of a collection of Ohio battle flags that is the property of the Ohio National Guard, has worked to raise funds to restore the flags, many of which have significant damage. To date, 19 of the 388 Civil War flags have been restored with help from Ohioans.

In the new exhibit, you’ll learn how conservators remove dust and residue from fragile fabrics and perform specialized conservation techniques. You’ll also discover how much it costs to keep the effort going and learn about the campaign to Save the Flags and how you can contribute to conserving and restoring more flags. Follow the Flag is made possible in party by the Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund of The Columbus Foundation.

Over Here, Over There

Ohio’s proud tradition of military service has spurred change, instigated advances in democracy, and created history not to be forgotten. The exhibit Over Here, Over There: Ohioans in Times of War tackles hard questions of why we fight, how war forever alters us, and why remembering and sharing our collective history is crucial to preserving history.

One goal behind this exhibit is to use visible storage to bring many objects into view. “We have a magnificent collection and only a fraction of the objects can be shown at any one time,” Dean says. “This technique allows us to show many pieces at once. Having all these pieces together helps present the intensity- and routine – of daily life during war years.”

With a jeep at the entrance to set the tone, the exhibit also features an array of uniforms form several wars. Walls of mementos, from photographs and flags to medals and clippings remind us that we each use different techniques for attempting to capture that elusive quality that helps us remember a love one. What do you save as a memory of a loved one? What did your parents’ generation save?

Over Here, Over There walks us through the questions that sometimes haunt us but are as current now as they have been for all wars: Why do we fight? How does war change us? And how should we remember those who’ve fallen?

Visiting the Ohio History Center

Starting in July, the Ohio History Center is open one more day a week- Wednesdays. Museum and archives/library hours starting in July are Wednesday-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Ohio History Center is at I-71 and 17th Avenue (Exit 111) in Columbus. Ohio History Center museum admission is $10/adults; $9/ senior (60+); $5/youth (6-12); FREE/OHS member; FREE/child (ages 5 and under).

Learn more about visiting the Ohio History Center at ohiohistory.org/places.

This article was originally published in Echoes, the Membership Newsletter of the Ohio Historical Society.

The ceremony will be held at 11 am, July 9, 2011 at Buffington Island State Memorial, State Route 124, Portland, OH in Meigs County. It will include remarks by Don Martin, Commander Ohio Department of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Ted Prasse, president of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Historical Society; Debbie Phillips, Representative of the Ohio House; Edd Sharp, Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation; and Ralph Wydowski, Sons of Confederate Veterans and Morgan’s Men Association. The program will also include an honor salute, and taps performed by Benjamin Fearing Camp #2 and Cadot-Blessing Camp #126. Additional participants include 91st Ohio volunteer Infantry, and Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Pivotal event in Morgan’s Raid in Ohio
The Battle of Buffington Island was primarily an engagement between Confederate forces led by Morgan and Union troops led by Brigadier General Edward H. Hobson. “Morgan didn’t bank on the tenacity of Ohio’s military might,” said Edd Sharp, president, Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation. Sharp wrote an account of the Battle recently for Ohio Magazine. In the article, Sharp wrote that when General Morgan reached Portland on

July 18 he was accompanied by 1800 men, four canons, and 55 wagons “loaded with guns and stolen goods.” Morgan had the confidence of a general who had spent the spring months marauding through Kentucky and Indiana while destroying bridges, railroad tracks and gristmills. His troops were also stealing horses and supplies. As he entered Ohio and specifically Meigs County, he was confronted with citizen militia who threw up a gauntlet of fires and obstacles to stop his progress. Militias from Marietta (to be represented at the commemoration event by the Benjamin Fearing Camp #2) were called up and they blocked Morgan from re-crossing the river on July 18, 1863. Morgan was trapped. The action of the Union militia from Ohio forced the battle on July 19. Lasting only about five hours, it was intense, and complicated. “It’s one of the few Civil War clashes the involved every branch of service-navy, infantry, artillery and cavalry,” said Sharp.

Morgan escaped after the Battle with only 800 men remaining and without his artillery or wagons. His brother and hundreds of men were taken as prisoners. “He was no longer the military threat he had been,” said Sharp. And although Morgan was defeated at Buffington Island, his 1100 mile raid through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio alerted the North that the Union was vulnerable to threats from the South.

First-hand Accounts of the Battle
An account from 1866 by J. T. Headley, describes the bizarre scene after the battle. Not only were men lying dead, but “The battle-field and line of retreat, presented one of the most curious spectacle ever seen in war. The ground was strewed, not only with guns, cartridge-boxes, etc., but with all sorts of hardware and dry-goods, and household articles, such as forks, spoons, calicoes, ribbons, and women’s apparel, together with buggies, carriages, market-wagons, circus-wagons, and even quite a quantity of stationery.”

Another account of the days following the Battle comes from Ohioan T. J. Weber, who as a six-year old watched Morgan lead his remaining troops through the fields. He wrote in 1909, that he remembered “the bright sunny morning of July 23, 1863. I had not long been out of bed at my home at Rokeby Lock, when upon looking across the river just below the dam I beheld a sight never to be forgotten. My childish mind was filled with awe, mingled with fear and admiration. Morgan’s cavalry was approaching, as it seemed to me in solid phalanx, while their polished sabers glistened in the morning sun. This was war. Rumors had reached us the day before that Morgan was near and would in all probability cross the river at this point, and that he was burning and destroying property on all sides as he came to it, and, worse, sparing the lives of no one, not even the women and children.”

The Henry Rifle of Daniel McCook Used in the Battle
The Battle is also noteworthy because Daniel McCook, the patriarch of the “fighting McCook” family from Carrollton, OH was fatally wounded attempting to prevent Morgan from re-crossing the Ohio River at Buffington Island. The Henry Rifle that McCook is said to have carried when he was wounded in that raid, is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and is on exhibit at the McCook House in Carrollton, OH.

A Collaborative Project Led by the Ohio Historical Society
The Ohio Historical Society worked closely with the Meigs County Historical Society, the Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation, Ohio Civil War Trail Commission, and the National Park Service and its American Battlefield Protection Program, over the past six years to increase awareness of the battle and to understand threats to the battlefield. Additionally, the Ohio Historical Society created the kiosk with panels of informative text, to provide a greater understanding of the battle that was fought here nearly a century and a half ago.

During 2012, the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Civil War Trail Commission will unveil the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail. It will include 57 markers that track the trail Morgan charged through 20 counties in Ohio in 1863.

A museum commemorating the Battle is located in the Portland Community Center near the park. It houses a collection of artifacts that help tell the story of the Battle. The monument itself is made of broken Ohio glacial boulders. It is surrounded by four acres of an outdoor park where visitors can enjoy picnics and learn more from the kiosks about the history of the area. (It is not on an island.)

Conducted by Matthew Strobel, Ohio Civil War 150 AmeriCorps Member for North Central Ohio

For over twenty-five years Gary and Jan Dundore have been historical re-enactors,   mainly concentrating on the Civil War period. They are currently co-presidents of the Johnson’s Island Civil War Round Table and members of the Seneca County Historical Alliance. I spoke with the Dundores’ to gain a better understanding of their organization and how it works.

Matthew Strobel: What does your organization hope to accomplish in the coming years?

Gary and Jan Dunore: We hope to continue to educate the Seneca County community about Johnson’s Island and the area’s Civil War history. We also hope to gain new members for the Round Table and create a lasting impact for Ohio history.

MS: What programs or events do you host?

GD: The Johnson’s Island Civil War Round Table (JICWRT) host a variety of events. From guest speakers or field trips to Johnson’s Island, the JICWRT has something for everyone. We also host question and answer sessions with speakers and have interactive discussions where attendees can look at actual Civil War artifacts. Vice President Rex Felton puts all of the speaker activities together for the JICWRT.

MS: How can people get involved with the Johnson’s Civil War Round Table?

GD: Speaking either with one of us, or Rex Felton, founder of the JICWRT and current Vice-President is a great way to start.

JD: Meetings and field trips are open to the public and anyone with an interest in Civil War or Johnson’s Island history are welcome to come. We are always looking for people who are interested in becoming a member of the JICWRT or to help out with advertising.

MS: How is the JICWRT getting involved in Ohio’s Civil War 150 commemoration?

GD: With the main drive of the Johnson’s Island Civil War Round Table being Civil War education and understanding, the organization is always working on the commemoration. Recently, the Roundtable became a part of the Seneca County Historical Alliance. This committee strives to work on the Civil War 150 commemoration and Seneca County history. Through speaker events, road trips and Civil War related projects, the Johnson’s Island Civil War Round Table will always be working on commemorating the Civil War well after the commemoration is over.

JD: I want to stress that point, that individuals can learn more about the Civil War and then make a significant impact their community. The best example is the Tiffin Community and all the hard work they put into the American Civil War Museum. Its continued success shows that if the desire and work ethic is there, then Ohio history will continue to be a positive force in our state.

MS: What upcoming events or programs does the JICWRT have?

GD: On August 21st there will be a historical marker presentation at Statler Park for the 49th OVI, who fought during the war. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. Also the Round Table will be having speakers in the coming months.

JD: Another project the Round Table is working on is a commemoration for author Richard F. Mann, who wrote the novel on the 49th OVI.   Any proceeds from sales of the novel, The Buckeye Vanguard–The Forty-ninth Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865.will go to the commemoration.

Only Civil War Battle Fought in Ohio
The 1863 Battle of Buffington Island, which took place in Meigs County, is the only Civil War battle fought in Ohio. Three future presidents of the United States, all from Ohio, fought in it for the Union cause: Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield and William McKinley. Principally an engagement between Confederate forces led by Gen. John Hunt Morgan and Union troops led by Brig. Gen. Edward H. Hobson, the Battle of Buffington Island was a pivotal event of Morgan’s Raid in Ohio.

“Morgan didn’t bank on the tenacity of Ohio’s military might,” says Edd Sharp, president of the Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation. In an Ohio Magazine account, he wrote that when Morgan reached Portland on July 18, he was accompanied by 1800 men, four cannons and 55 wagons “loaded with guns and stolen goods.”

Morgan had spent the spring marauding through Kentucky and Indiana destroying bridges, railroad tracks and gristmills, while stealing horses and supplies. As he entered Ohio and Meigs County, he was confronted with citizen militia who threw up a gauntlet of fires and obstacles to stop his progress.

Intense and Complicated
Militia from Marietta blocked Morgan from re-crossing the river on July 18, 1863. Morgan was trapped and the action of the Union militia from Ohio forced the battle on July 19. Lasting only about five hours, it was intense and complicated. “It’s one of the few Civil War clashes that involved every branch of service–navy, infantry artillery and cavalry,” Sharp says.

Morgan escaped after the battle with only 800 men remaining and without his artillery or wagons. His brother and hundreds of men were taken as prisoners. “He was no longer the military threat he had been,” says Sharp. Although Morgan was defeated at Buffington Island, his 1100-mile raid through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio alerted the North that the Union was vulnerable to threats from the South.

A Firsthand Account
An 1866 account by J. T. Headley describes the bizarre scene after the battle. Not only were men lying dead, but “The battle-field and line of retreat presented one of the most curious spectacles ever seen in war. The ground was strewed, not only with guns, cartridge-boxes, etc., but with all sorts of hardware and dry-goods, and household articles, such as forks, spoons, calicoes, ribbons and women’s apparel, together with buggies, carriages, market-wagons, circus-wagons and even quite a quantity of stationery.”

Daniel McCook, patriarch of Carrollton’s “Fighting McCook” family, was fatally wounded while trying to prevent Morgan from re-crossing the Ohio River at Buffington Island. The Henry Rifle that McCook is said to have carried when he was wounded is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and is on exhibit at the McCook House in Carrollton.

Fighting McCook’s Organizations Collaborate to Raise Awareness
Over the past six years, the Ohio Historical Society has collaborated with the Meigs County Historical Society, Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation, Ohio Civil War Trail Commission and the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program to raise awareness of the battle and threats to the battlefield. The Ohio Historical Society created the new kiosk to further understanding of the battle. A museum in the Portland Community Center near the park houses a collection of artifacts that help tell the story of the battle.

Click here to learn more about visiting Buffington Island State Memorial.