The 23rd Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend opens on Saturday June 13, 2015 with a Processional Honoring Civil War Veterans. The Procession will start at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark near the Land Office (pictured here) walk around the hamlet and assemble at the Civil War statue. 35 star flags will hang at 19 C. homes on the green.
12th United States Infantry Reenactment Regiment and the Civil War Heritage Foundation provide civilian and military information and demonstrations on the Civil War at the annual Peterboro Civil War Weekends.
(Peterboro, NY – Jan. 2015) 2015 is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, the assassination of President Lincoln, and the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery. Peterboro NY Heritage sites issue an early 2015 call to all to become involved in the Sesquicentennial events throughout the special new year.
The 23rd Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend will open its event on Saturday, June 13, 2015 with a Processional Honoring Veterans of the Civil War. The Committee invites all interested persons to walk in a procession that will begin on the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and walk around the hamlet green and assemble around the Civil War statue donated by Aaron Bliss, a Civil War soldier from Peterboro who became Governor of Michigan. (Persons unable to manage the walk may assemble directly at the statue.) Walkers are also encouraged to install a small 35 star flag and fresh flowers with Civil War veterans’ names at the base of the statue, and send the name of veterans and their units to be included in the event program. The processional will be led by President Lincoln and the host military unit the 12th United States Infantry Reenactment Regiment of Syracuse. The 12th and the Civil War Heritage Foundation will be encamped on the green for the weekend demonstrating civilian and military life in 1865.
After the 11 a.m. processional, programs and exhibits featuring Sesquicentennial events of 1865 will be held on the green, at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum and at the Peterboro Area Museum. Exhibits on the Heritage NY Underground Railroad Trail, abolition, African-Americans who served in the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and many other 19th Century displays will be open both days of the event. The New York State Museum will do a book-signing of its recent publication on the exhibit An Irrepressible Conflict: The Empire State in the Civil War.Harold and Jan Reichard will exhibit their Lincoln funeral artifacts – including a replica of Lincoln’s casket. The Fiddle de Divas and Dude will provide Civil War music during the weekend. Authors, demonstrators, historic organization exhibits, Civil War Round Tables, and vendors will be on the green during the weekend. Military reenactors plan a skirmish each afternoon at 2 p.m. A children’s area will provide supervised 19th C. activities. Refreshments will be available at the Deli on the Green all weekend, with a Saturday chicken barbeque by the Smithfield Fire Department and a Sunday pancake breakfast by the Peterboro United Methodist Church.
At 7 p.m. at the Smithfield Community Center, Patrick Schroeder, historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, will present on the April 9, 1865 surrender which ended the war. An exhibit on Lincoln’s funeral will be featured at the community center during the weekend. The feature on President Lincoln will continue October 23-25 with programs on Lincoln: The Great Emancipator.
The Peterboro Civil War Weekend is an educational and fund-raising event of the Smithfield Community Association based on the Gerrit Smith-John Brown relationship which helped ignite the Civil War. Admission ($8: Adults, $3: 6-12 years, Free: Under 6) covers weekend activities (except food). Volunteers, reenactors, authors, exhibitors, demonstrators, and period vendors are needed and encouraged to contact 315-280-8828 or mail@sca-peterboro.org for information and forms. Check updates at civilwarweekend.sca-peterboro.org as 2015 plans develop.
