Honor soldiers past and present with Civil War Remembrance Weekend
More than 400 re-enactors bring the Civil War era to life for Memorial Day Weekend
DEARBORN – Step back in time to the 1860s when the nation was engaged in a massive civil war during Greenfield Village’s annual Civil War Remembrance Weekend Saturday through Monday.
More than 400 Union and Confederate re-enactors and a wide range of moving and thought-provoking activities highlight this time in our nation’s history. The special program is free with admission to Greenfield Village; tickets are $20 adults, $19 seniors (ages 62 and older), $14 youth (ages 5 to 12) and free for children younger than 5 and members. For more information go to www.thehenryford.org.
Scheduled activities for the weekend – with special extended hours until 9 p.m. on Saturday – include:
• Memorial Day Parade and Commemoration: Honor all military members past and present who have served our country during a moving ceremony on the Village Green, with historian William Hendricks also discussing the holiday’s origins. Noon Monda.
• Tactical demonstration: Join hundreds of Civil War re-enactors in Walnut Grove and see how changes in military technologies have affected the way troops were deployed and maneuvered during battles, skirmishes and on the march; 6 p.m. Saturday; 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Artillery demonstrations: Discover the role of the artillery battery as local historian Al Day narrates while period-clothed re-enactors load and fire historic cannons at Walnut Grove.; 5 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Cavalry demonstrations: Observe the skill and precision of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade at Walnut Grove as they demonstrate the lives of the mounted soldiers on nearly a dozen horses bred for military action. 4 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Marching and drill: Watch as Union and Confederate troops perform their marching and drill practice on the Village Green; 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Mustering in and drilling hands-on activity. Enlist at the Phoenixville Post Office, then report for “duty” at the Logan County Courthouse and first drill at the General Store and Village Green. Mustering in, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Saturday; 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Sunday; 10:30 a.m., 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Monday. Drilling, 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday; 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday; 10:45 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday.
• Off to prison and soldiers’ aid: View the captured Confederate soldiers as they arrive by train and are marched off to a prisoner war camp. Also, see the ladies and gentlemen of the Soldiers’ Aid Society as they create care packages to be sent to the front lines; 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
• An invitation to a funeral at the Adams House: Visit the Adams House to pay your respects for a fallen soldier and learn about the customs and traditions that went into 19th-century mourning; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m Sunday and Monday.
• Confederate and Union Military and Civilian Camps: Interact with hundreds of re-enactors as they perform the daily tasks of the Civil War period at the Confederate civilian camp near the Herschell-Spillman Carousel and the Union civilian camp around Mulberry Grove. Also, stop by the Union military camp near Susquehanna Plantation and the Confederate military camp near the Logan County Courthouse as their soldiers practice their military drills; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Dramatic presentations: Learn about the lives of those affected by the Civil War through two different dramatic presentations.
• “The Door” allows visitors to take a look at how Southern slaves and slave owners interacted, as shown at Susquehanna Plantation; 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday; 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• “The Breath of Emancipation” demonstrates the reactions of slaves as federal troops freed them at Hermitage Slave Quarters; 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday; 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday; noon and 1:30 p.m. Monday.
• Research your Civil War ancestors: Civil War historian Dale Niesen lends his expertise at the Village Pavilion to help find where ancestors may have lived and how they may have experienced the Civil War. noon to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Show your support: Create souvenir ribbon rosettes at the Edison Homestead to support past and present military members; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday,
• Sutler Row: Browse the goods and wares of sutlers – traveling merchants and purveyors who followed the armies – outside of Town Hall, and find authentically reproduced items as well as Greenfield Village glass and pottery available for purchase; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• What We Wore – Fashion Show and Lecture: Join textile historian Beth Turza at the Town Hall as she discusses what men, woman and children would have worn during the Civil War era; 12:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Saturday ; 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
• Original 1860s Clothing Exhibit: See actual 1860s civilian clothing and materials in unique, authentic collections on display in the Village Pavilion; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Musical entertainment: Enjoy historical musical performances that display the importance of music during the Civil War period.
• Dodworth Saxhorn Band at Town Hall; 2 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Camp Chase Drum & Fife Corps outside the Scotch Settlement School;, 10:30 p.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday; 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday.
