The Jackson Historical Society and the Lillian Jones Museum are proud to announce they are hosting the Ohio Historical Society’s new traveling exhibit, Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later to commemorate the anniversary of the Civil War.

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 .

On November 7, 1861, Ohioan General Ulysses S. Grant led Union troops in the Battle of Belmont (in Missouri) against the forces of Confederate General Leonidas Polk. According to the Warren Western Reserve Chronicle, “this was one of the hardest fought battles in the West, the total force on the Union side was about 3,500, all Illinois troops except one Iowa regiment.” The “terrible struggle…lasted from 11 o’clock in the morning until sundown.” This early Civil War battle, to some considered a victory for the North and to others one for the South, was Grant’s first, showcasing his talent as a military leader and helping to propel him into the public eye where he would soon become a national hero.

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

On Friday, October 21, the Friends of Freedom Society, Inc., a grassroots, all volunteer, non-profit organization devoted to researching, documenting, and preserving Underground Railroad sites throughout Ohio, met in Sylvania, OH, for its 14^th Ohio Underground Railroad Summit entitled, Sylvania: A Final Terminus.  The 2011 summit focused on the impact the Underground Railroad had on Ohio’s Northwest Region, and the roles certain people and places played in the quest for freedom.

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/

On Saturday, October 22, The Kentucky Historical Society dedicated a historical marker to commemorate the service of the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, a Civil War regiment of black soldiers.  The marker dedication was held at the Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center in Paducah, KY.

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

The Ohio Historical Society is seeking an AmeriCorps service member to join the Ohio History Service Corps at Dennison Railroad Depot Museum in Dennison, Ohio. The Ohio History Service Corps is an AmeriCorps State program created by the Ohio Historical Society and statewide partners to promote local history, historic preservation and tourism. We welcome applicants looking for experience in community outreach, event planning, public history, K-12 history education, public relations, and tourism.

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