Civil War Commemorations

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Eireann

Some special events to consider, for those in the area or willing to travel to partake!

In Dearborn, MI, the Henry Ford Museum is having an assassination commemoration, with Doris Kearns Goodwin speaking. I got a laugh out of the pricing tiers, which include balcony seats and general floor admission, but no options for participants travelling from the balcony to the floor. Bit of an oversight given the topic on hand 😉

On April 13, as we mark the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, we will host Lincoln’s Legacy: An Evening with Doris Kearns Goodwin…

More than a commemoration of Lincoln’s death, her talk will show how the experiences faced by Lincoln, one of our most unlikely presidents, carry so much relevance to Americans in 2015.

http://www.thehenryford.org/events/lincoln150.aspx

And New Jersey locals, take note! There is a Thomas Nast exhibition on this year at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, with a special presentation on the 22nd of February. From this sounds of it, this venue is the premier collection of Nast’s work, so I’m sure they have some excellent art (and history) on display.

Mounted to commemorate the final year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011-2015), this second floor exhibit at Macculloch includes a number of these images. “The Civil War through the Eyes of Thomas Nast” is on exhibit through December 2015.

On Sunday Feb. 22 Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (MHHM) F.M Kirby Curator of Collections Ryan Hyman presents “The Work of Thomas Nast.” During this presentation Hyman will highlight Nast’s most popular political cartoons and a few interesting but lesser known images. During the program Ryan will also discuss some of Nast’s political cartoon work about the Civil War, some of which is currently on display.

via Thomas Nast’s Civil War at Macculloch Hall in Morristown – New Jersey Hills: Morris NewsBee News.

‘The Widow Lincoln’ at Ford’s Theatre

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Eireann

How is Ford’s Theatre marking the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s assassination? It’s staging a play about Mary Lincoln. Hope the Secret Service are keeping the Obamas far, far away from this one.

The moment is just one of many pathos-crammed sequences in “The Widow Lincoln,” the doleful historical monument of a play at Ford’s Theatre. Written by James Still (“The Heavens Are Hung in Black”) and directed by Stephen Rayne, this world premiere broods knowledgeably over the plight of Mary Todd Lincoln after the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, at Ford’s Theatre in 1865. While fever-dream design and dramaturgy evoke the first lady’s mental health problems, there’s an aching universality to the production’s portrait of grief and bewilderment in the face of loss.

via ‘The Widow Lincoln’ at Ford’s Theatre shows a first lady in mourning – The Washington Post.

Commemorative Events

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Eireann

Readers in or near Caroline County, Virginia (or buffs who might want to make a trip out of it) should note this nifty little program, which features receptions, talks, bus tours, and even a dinner with an author, all on the subject of John Wilkes Booth’s flight, capture and death in Virginia.

Caroline County is getting ready to commemorate perhaps the county’s most historic event: the capture of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth…

The county will have events on April 24, 25 and 26 to remember the 150th anniversary of the capture and to honor Lincoln.

via Caroline will commemorate anniversary of John Wilkes Booth’s capture – Fredericksburg.com: Caroline.

‘Whipping Man’

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Eireann

I caught a mention of the play, The Whipping Man, which opens in Costa Mesa, California January 25th. By this review, it’s a must-see, and it is centered upon a facet of the war I had never considered before: Jewish Southerners who raised their slaves as Jews. I’m researching more on the topic for subsequent posts. Stay tuned, unless you’re in Costa Mesa, in which you should tune out and go see the play!

Matthew Lopez’s “The Whipping Man” gives us something even more intriguing – and more gut-wrenching. Imagine Southern Jews of the Civil War era. Now imagine them alongside slaves whom they’ve raised within the precepts of Judaism.

That’s “The Whipping Man,” and its Martin Benson-directed staging at South Coast Repertory is a powerhouse.

via ‘Whipping Man’ casts shadow over Old South – The Orange County Register.

Remembering the Columbia Burning

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Eireann

February 17th marks the 150th anniversary of the burning of Columbia, South Carolina, and the town is memorializing the event with a series of lectures. If you live in or can get to Columbia in the next month, there are some interesting topics being covered. Click the link below for the full list of speakers.

More than 450 buildings in Columbia were destroyed and many residents were left homeless and destitute in February 1865 after Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops marched with vengeance into the city.

The fire that nearly wiped out the city is the focus of two months of lectures, exhibits and tours designed to help current residents determine look back on the nation’s most devastating conflict and gauge its impact even today.

via Diverse experts, events to mark Columbia’s most devastating period | Living | The State.

AMA with Dr. James McPherson

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Eireann

Reddit is a fairly recent obsession for me, and one of the reasons I love it is special events like their AMAs (“Ask Me Anything”). Tomorrow, James McPherson will be answering Redditors’ questions on the Civil War. If you’ve ever dreamed of asking the professor a question, or in making a ridiculous LOL-joke to him, now is your chance! (Note that you will need to create a Reddit account to ask questions.)

AMA Announcement — Dr. James McPherson, author of ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ (1988) and over a dozen other books on the American Civil War, will be here to answer questions this Friday, Feb. 28th, starting at 1:30PM : AskHistorians.

Chattanooga 150

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Eireann

Lost in the commemorations of the Kennedy assassination is the Chattanooga anniversary. There are a lot of events happening in the area between today and the 27th, so if you’re in or near Tennessee, swing by and partake. I visited the site as a kid, and it was a spectacular park. The view from Missionary Ridge is worth the engine-taxing drive to the summit.

via 150th Anniversary of the Campaign for Chattanooga – Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service).

Winslow Homer in Maine

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Eireann

It’s too far for me to visit, but if you’re in the vicinity of Portland, ME in the next months, stop by the Portland Museum of Art. This exhibit of Winslow Homer Civil War works promises to be spectacular. Homer was on the front lines as a Harper’s war artist, and produced some memorable images.

In conjunction with the Maine Civil War Trail, a state-wide series of special displays at more than 20 institutions commemorating the sesquicentennial of the conflict, the Portland Museum of Art will present a focused exhibition on the war-related imagery of the American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910). On view at the PMA from September 7 through December 8, Winslow Homer’s Civil War will feature 29 wood engravings and other prints drawn from the PMA’s permanent collection. The exhibition will examine the artist’s unique vision of this event and its profound impact on American society.

via Portland Museum of Art opens Winslow Homer Civil War focused exhibition.

Confederacy Museum Lecture

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Eireann

Lucky people in the Richmond area have a chance to attend a free lecture on Britain’s role in the Civil War (and, presumably, the war’s effect on Britain, which is just as fascinating from what I’ve read.)

One hundred fifty years ago this September, the British cabinet considered intervention in the American Civil War. Economically dependent on Southern Cotton and impressed by Confederate military success, but revolted by Southern slavery, Britain’s leaders and people were torn in their loyalties. The course that Britain followed might well determine the outcome of the war in America.

Hear Dr. Amanda Foreman’s lecture September 27th, as she delves into the important role that Britain played during the American Civil War, the topic of her book, A World on Fire. Co-Sponsored by the University of Richmond’s Department of History, the lecture will be held in UR’s Ukrops Auditorium, Robins School of Business 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Confederacy museums Sept. 27 lecture covers Britains Civil War role.

Worth the Drive

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Eireann

I’ve only been to Illinois once, but loved it. My nostalgia and this news are combining into roadtrip lust. Here’s hoping the Address displayed isn’t as disappointing as the documents in the National Archives, though – mouldy, green, unintelligible paper isn’t as big a draw as you’d expect.

A handwritten manuscript of the Gettysburg Address will be displayed this summer at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

The document can be viewed in the museum’s Treasures Gallery from Friday through Sept. 4. It was last displayed for five days in February.

via Abraham Lincoln museum to display Gettysburg Address – Rockford, IL – Rockford Register Star.

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