The Emancipation Proclamation has been celebrated and observed in Gallia County, Ohio continuously since 1863. The Gallia County Emancipation Day Celebration is reported to be the longest continuous celebration in the United States.

Historically, the original celebration was always celebrated on the 22nd of September. This coincided with President Abraham Lincoln’s historic signing of the Emancipation Proclamation which declared slaves “thenceforth and forever more free”. It was conducted in a religious atmosphere. Activities and games such as baseball, sack racing, hog calling and greasy pole climbing were included to stimulate interest and maintain enthusiasm. Bands, famous orators, politicians, parades, dances and queen contest were also included in the celebration.

Location: Gallia county fairgrounds, 189 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, OH 45631-1538

For more information, please visit http://www.emancipation-day.com.

Why did a nation founded on ideals of freedom and equality tolerate for so long one of the harshest labor systems the world has known? A traveling exhibition opening at the State Library of Ohio on March 7, 2011 looks for answers to this question by tracing Abraham Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator,” who began the process to free all slaves with a revolutionary war-time proclamation in 1863. “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” will be on display at the library until April 15, 2011.

Organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), this traveling exhibition is made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

“We are pleased to have been selected as a site for this timely exhibition,” said State Librarian Beverly Cain. “The exhibit coincides with the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War and Ohio Statehouse Sesquicentennial celebration. In addition, several titles in the Choose to Read Ohio lists are related to anti-slavery and the civil war. President Lincoln and Ohio’s role in the Civil War and anti-slavery movement must be remembered in order to help 21st century Ohioans better understand our place in history and how these events shape our lives today.

The Forever Free exhibit offers Ohioans an opportunity to learn more about how the long and brutal Civil War influenced Abraham Lincoln’s decision on emancipation of the slaves. The exhibit reveals how Lincoln’s values and beliefs guided him through the greatest moral conflict of his time to become one of our greatest Presidents.”

Abraham Lincoln was an obscure Illinois lawyer and politician of humble origins who rose in an astonishingly short time to world renown as the leader of a young nation during one of its most troubled times. Throughout his life, Lincoln’s dedication to the ideals of freedom and equality for all people did not waver. “I want every man to have the chance-and I believe a black man is entitled to it-in which he can better his condition,” he said early in his career.

Lincoln was also a pragmatic politician who believed that a direct attack on slavery in the South would split the Union and end America’s experiment in self-government. He steered a middle course during the early years of the Civil War but became convinced that ending slavery would help the Union. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation transformed the character of the war by re-committing the nation to its founders’ vision of freedom and equality for all.

“Forever Free” draws upon original documents in the collections of the Huntington Library and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. It was curated by John Rhodehamel, Norris Foundation Curator of American historical manuscripts at the Huntington Library.

The State Library of Ohio will also display historical documents, artifacts and the winning artwork from a poster contest with students at Columbus College of Art and Design. An opening reception and free program will be held on March 9, 2011 at 5:30-7:30. The State Library will provide additional programs for schools and groups from the public in connection with the exhibition. The State Library of Ohio is hosting the exhibit in collaboration with Ohioana, Ohio Historical Society, Kelton House, Ohio Department of Education, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Ohio State University, local historians and others. The State Library of Ohio is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Contact Marsha McDevitt-Stredney at 614-644-6875 or marshams@library.ohio.gov for more information.

Celebrating the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which declared slaves “thenceforth and forever more free”.   Activities and games, guest speakers, Bands, singing groups, historic re-enactments, civil war soldiers, history booth, arts and crafts, food vendors and health screenings. Free admission, free parking.

Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Location:   Gallia County Jr. Fairgrounds, 189 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, OH 45631

Local Number: (740) 446-7611

Event Website: http://www.emancipation-day.com/

C0ntact:   rr8491@dragonbbs.com

A display of some never before exhibited artifacts and documents from the Civil War will be on display FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY during “A Historic Evening at the Marcus Center” presented by The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA).

Location: 2010 at the AJA, 3101 Clifton Avenue, 45220

This one-of-a-kind event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the exhibit of Civil War artifacts from the vast collections of the American Jewish Archives.

Items on exhibit will include:

- The diary kept by Edward Rosewater, the Jewish Civil War veteran who, as a telegraph operator, transmitted the text of the Emancipation Proclamation
- The Congressional Medal of Honor received by Union soldier David Urbansky
- A Letter from Jefferson Davis, written while in England after the Civil War concerning the post-war South
- Confederate currency bearing the likeness of Confederate statesman Judah Benjamin
- Diary of Simon Mayer, member of Company O, Tenth Mississippi Infantry, Confederate Army, with a detailed account of the Battle of Murfreesboro
- Draft notice into the Union army, October 3, 1864 for Donald Ross

At 6:30 p.m., guests will then gather for a live interactive video presentation entitled,

” Lincoln, The Civil War and American Jewry” by world-renowned Lincoln scholar and author, Harold Holzer.

Press Release

Attendees will also enjoy an elegant wine and hors-d’oeuvres reception.

FREE and open to the public.

Limited seating. RSVPs on first-come-first-served basis required.

Lesson: Emancipation Proclamation (264 k)
This lesson and activities look at the content of the Emancipation Proclamation and ask the student to complete a map naming the states and depicting which states were affected by this document.