Mid States Living History Association

2010-06-28T20:17:00.004-04:00

Mid States to assist General Lew Wallace Museum and Study Youth Academy 2011

Mid States Living History Association Inc. will be assisting the Lew Wallace Museum and Study in Crawfordsville, Indiana with the Lew Wallace Museum and Study Youth Academy on July 9^th and 10^th, 2011. This is the fourth year the Association has organized history presentations on the final day of the week long summer Academy for students in grades 5 through 8. Mid States Living History Association will be joined by members of the Ohio Valley Civil War Association and the Indiana Civil War Surgeon’s Society to provide history vignettes in encampments around the Museum and Study grounds. Students learn about technology, strategy, leadership and life in the days of the Civil War. The rich Civil War history of Major General Lew Wallace provides a backdrop to help students learn important life lessons and develop a better appreciation for leadership so well exemplified by General Wallace.

The students will have an opportunity to visit several history encampment stops where they will be able to see original artifacts, as well as reproductions, that are used by living history presenters to better understand how equipment and other items were actually used. In part, the effort is to help students better understand about the repair work currently underway on the Lew Wallace Study to preserve the study and the artifacts within its walls. The finale of the history presentations is a visit with Major General Lew Wallace played by Mid States Living History board member Bernie O’Bryan. Students will meet with the General in his headquarters tent to discuss what they have learned and ask him any questions.

A graduation ceremony will take place in the early afternoon of Saturday July 9^th with full military honors provided by the history presenters. The graduation, encampment, and presentations will be open to the public at 12:00pm on the 9^th. The encampment will be open to the public until 9:00pm on Saturday the 9^th and from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sunday July 10^th. There is no admission cost and the museum will be open.

Presentations for the weekend will include, but are not limited too:

· Major General Lew Wallace and Command staff with Tents

· Telegraph and Signal Corp Operation with tents (for more information, visit civilwarsignal.org/)

· Infantry Demonstrations with tents as backdrops

· Rifle and small arms technology presentations (tents for back drop)

· Field Hospital including Surgeons tents and hospital tent with field kitchen

· Camp life with Music Demonstrations and Civil War Period Cooking by the lovely Belle

· School of the Piece Artillery presentations including tent fly and Cannon demonstrations

For more information go to: http://www.ben-hur.com or call Amanda Wesselmann at (765) 362-5769

Information: Lew Wallace Study and Museum Blog

Fort Mitchell Centennial 2010

2010-05-07T14:17:00.005-04:00

Mid States Living History Association in conjunction with the Ohio Valley Civil War Association will provide living history presentations for the Centennial Celebration of Fort Mitchell in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky June 26 and 27,010.

Presentations will include, but are not limited too:

· Major General Lew Wallace and Command staff with Tents

· Telegraph and Signal Corp Operation with tents (for more information, visit civilwarsignal.org/)

· Infantry Demonstrations with tents as backdrops

· Rifle and small arms technology presentations (tents for back drop)

· Field Hospital including Surgeons tents and hospital tent with field kitchen

· Camp life with Music Demonstrations with fiddler Uncle Mike Carr

· School of the Piece Artillery presentations including tent fly and Cannon demonstrations

Information: http://www.fortmitchell.com/documents/Fort_Mitchell_Centennial_News.pdf

A Wonderful Night at the Indiana State Museum

2010-02-26T18:51:00.002-05:00

A collaboration between the Mid States Living History Association, the 19th U.S. Regulars Color Guard, The Indiana Civil War Medical Society, the 1st Wisconsin Artillery, Rebel Threads and Indiana Civil War Civilian Education Incorporated helped the Indiana State Museum in a Gala launch of two new Lincoln Exhibits.

On Saturday, February 13th, 2010, a grand gala VIP event noted the launch of the exhibit With Malice Toward None, a traveling Library of Congress exhibit with a large collection of Lincoln papers and artifacts and the companion exhibit With Charity For All, an exhibit designed by Indiana State Museum with many Lincoln artifacts including the chair President Lincoln used for his last pictures.

The Gala was officiated by acting Indiana State Museum President and CEO Thomas King, and featured speaker, Indiana Supreme Court Justice, Randall Shepard. General Lew Wallace, a native of Crawfordsville, IN (portrayed by Bernie O'Bryan of the Mid States Living History Association) greeted guests and spoke of his experiences before, during, and after the Civil War. For many, an opportunity to stand next to the carriage that President and Mrs. Lincoln took to Ford’s Theater was a highlight of the evening.

The With Malice Toward None exhibit will be open until April 11, 2010. The With Charity For All exhibit will be open through July 25, 2010.

For more information please visit: http://www.indianamuseum.org/ or call 317-232-1637. Advanced reservations are recommended.

Below are a few pictures from the event:

The 19th US Regulars Color Guard presented the Colors to begin the evening.

Indiana Ladies in formal ball gowns crafted by Shela Simpson of Rebel Threads and Kay Gnagey of the Midwest Civil War Civilian Education Inc.

For The Love of Lincoln

2010-01-13T20:00:00.010-05:00

The Mid States Living History Association will be providing support in the Indiana State Museum's Inaugural Gala celebrating the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln on Saturday February 13, 2010.

This invitation only event will feature living history presentations featuring General Lew Wallace (pictured below), the 19th US Regular Color Guard, and ladies in formal ball gowns crafted by Shela Simpson. The event, For The Love of Lincoln, will celebrate the opening of the new exhibit at the Indiana State Museum titled With Charity for All: The Lincoln Financial Collection. This exhibition coincides with the Library of Congress' With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition.

General Lew Wallace portrayed by Bernie O'Bryan of the Mid States Living History Association.

The 19th US Regular Color Guard of the Ohio Valley Civil War Association.

Ball gown for the "For the Love of Lincoln" Gala at the Indiana State Museum will feature Civil War period ball gowns crafted by Shela Simpson (pictured above).

Annual Meeting 2010

2010-01-08T15:39:00.001-05:00

The annual meeting for the Mid States Living History has come and gone and much was accomplished.

First of all, the blog has been updated with a new look and feel. Please take a moment to look through the page. In addition, the website will be receiving a much needed face lift. We will be working internally on the website to keep it up to date with pictures, event news, and information on how the Mid States Living History Association can help local museums and municipalities help tell their story.

In addition to the new website and blog, more events have been added to the calendar. The Calendar of Events below lists a few dates in which the Mid States Living History Association will be attending. Please note that this list can grow longer as the year goes on so please check back often for any updates.

We hope you can make it out to one of our events in 2010. See you on the front lines.

Let's Live Through History!