by Jim Barnes
One of the more unusual side trips I made while visiting my son in Maine, was a trip to Moosehead Lake in the west central part of the state. Now the lake itself is a popular tourist attraction and justly so. It is a very large and quite scenic natural lake which offer a variety of outdoor activities as well as cruises. Overlooking the lake is 2,636 Elephant Mountain and that is where I found one of the more striking historical sites of my vacation. The wreckage of a B-52 Stratofortress still lies halfway up the mountain, where it crashed in 1963. The following is a discription of the events that led to the crash, taken from The Moosehead Lake Region Resource Guide:
“On January 24th, 1963 a B-52 Stratofortress-C departed Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, its mission routine: low level maneuvers to avoid current Soviet radar technology. Some miles east of Greenville, the $8 million dollar unarmed bomber encountered turbulence. Attempting to avoid it, a great wrenching sound was heard. The pilot, who lost and could not regain control of the bomber, ordered ejection. Of a crew of nine, there was only enough time for the pilot, Lt. Col. Dante E. Bulli, the navigator, Capt. Gerald J. Adler and the copilot, Maj. Robert J. Morrison to do so before the plane crashed into the side of Elephant Mountain, killing all six remaining onboard – Lt. Col. Joe R. Simpson, Jr, Maj. William W. Gabriel, Maj. Robert J, Hill, Capt. Herbert L. Hansen, Capt, Charles G. Leuchter, and T-Sgt. Michael F. O’Keffe. Morrison died as he struck a tree while parachuting.”
Old Bedford Village has been described as the ‘Jewel of Reenacting’ in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I certainly agree. One of the premier events that I look forward to each summer is the annual OBV 1940′s weekend. It is always laid-back, interesting and fun. This year was no exception. Between John Niemiec, Craig Hall and ... ...
I recently received an email from Mark Davies in regard to a post on his blog. The blog title is a bit odd for our usual content as it is ‘Online Masters Degrees’, but I checked out and it seems to be okay. Anyway, with this particular link, he provides his list of the ’100 ... ...
Bill Donegan participated in some of the skirmishing at Old Bedford Village during the 1940′s Living History Weekend on August 7-8. Here is his report: The Germans were in control of the village. It was a beautiful summer day, the sky was clear and blue, no humidity and about 75 degrees fahrenheit. Villagers were out ... ...
The 2010 edition of the Arthurdale New Deal Festival took place on July 10. As usual, Eleanor Roosevelt was there and was accompanied this year by her husband, the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. For those of you who don’t know, Arthurdale was a planned community which was proposed by Eleanor Roosevelt ... ...
The following is a report by guest commentator, Matt Gillespie, on the Gettysburg Cyclorama which has been moved to the new Visitor’s Center: My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010. What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA. None of ... ...
Here are the latest updates from Karen Ramsburg regarding the Justice Smith House: Hi everyone, With great excitement and plenty of research work ahead I want to introduce http://smithrebellion1765.com. It is a living document as we continue to sort through primary sources related to the events surrounding William and James Smith and the Black Bo...
As some of you may know, I spent a week in Maine last May. Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War knows that Maine made a major contribution to the Union war effort in many different sectors. Maine was one of the first states in the northeast to be aligned with the Republican ... ...
The Houston Freedom Fest was held on July 3rd, 2010 in the park behind the American Legion in Houston, PA, and is sponsored by the Central Christian Church of Meadowlands. The 28th Infantry, Co. K was invited to attend and set up an encampment. We all got to the park Friday evening and set up ... ...
The following is a report on the annual Blue-Gray Reunion in Philippi, WV by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: On June 3rd through June 6th Linda and I attended, and participated in, the 149th Annual Blue & Gray Reunion in Philippi, West Virginia. Linda and I started this year’s preparation back in March when we began ... ...
Here is a short update from Karen Ramsburg concerning the ongoing effort to save the Smith House in Mercersburg, PA.: To all: We are pleased to have received a letter of support from Professor of History, Kevin Kenny of Boston College, author of the recently published book on the Paxton Boys titled Peaceable Kingdom Lost. ... ...
In getting ready for Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival this coming weekend, I have been forced to do something that I have been wanting to do, but have been putting off for some time: developing a period civilian impression. Admittedly, this is a new area for me and I welcome any advice from the readership. ... ...
On the weekend of June 19, 2010, Rowlesburg, WV and the Greatest Generation Society held their annual WWII Weekend. This is one of my favorite annual events for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the hospitality of the event sponsors and the community. We were provided with a spaghetti dinner on ... ...
Another June, another Reading! For any readers who don’t know, Reading Airshow is the largest gathering of WWII reenactors and enthusiasts on the east coast, with the possible exception of the Gap. There is no other gathering of this many WWII aircraft in one place, of which I am aware. The 193rd Rifle Division has ... ...
The following is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The 6th annual Gathering of Civil War Eagles held at the Old Courthouse Civil War Museum in the Old Town location of Winchester, VA took place the weekend of June 4-6. This premier educational event is history brought to life by living historians from across ... ...
The Marion County Historical Society held it’s annual Julia Pierpont Day in downtown Fairmont at the Society’s headquarters on May 29, 2010. (See 2009′s coverage for more details.) Governor Pierpont and, of course, Julia (Art and Pam Dodds) were in attendence, as well as Senator John Carlisle and Mrs. Carlisle (Gary and Millie Goe...
Attached is an account of the recent reenactment of the Battle of Lewisburg from correspondent, Nick Korolev: The Battle of Lewisburg Heritage Committee and the Greenbrier Campus of NRCTCpresented their annual Civil War event commemorating the 1862 Battle of Lewisburg May 21-23. This event is one of the best of the small to medium events ... ...
Two weeks ago, I again attended this event with Co. K of the 28th Infantry. This is not strictly a reenactor event, but is a potpourri of many things centered around the resurrected vintage machines that collectors have restored; many to running condition. There is also a large flea market, antique car show and food ... ...
The Reenactor Post would like to express a deep and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all servicemen and women, past and present, for their service to our country. We would also like to take this moment to remember those who have given their lives in the cause of Freedom. Thank you all and God Bless! ...
The town of Rowlesburg, WV played host to the annual WVRA School of the soldier again this year, on the weekend of May 1st. This was a small event with probably no more than fifteen to a side. There was a small spectated reenactment of the Battle of Rowlesburg on Saturday, which was probably more ... ...
We received this inviation from our friends at Arthurdale Heritage today: Arthurdale Heritage and the New Deal Festival planning committee would like to invite living history hobbyists and reenactors to dress up in their 1930s “Sunday best” and come out to the New Deal Festival in Arthurdale, WV on July 10, 2010. We’re looking for ... ...
Operation Market-Garden Reenactment Memorial Weekend Hosted by: SS-Pz.Abt. 102, Aufklrungszug and 101st Airborne Division PIR 501 September 10-12, 2010 Scottdale , PA http://www.westover tonvillage. org Presented by the West Overton Re-enactor Society On September 17, 1944 thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up t...
I wanted to give everyone a quick preview of some great events coming up in North Central West Virginia over the next few months. First of all, is the 5th Annual WWII Living History Weekend in Rowlesburg, WV on the weekend of June 19, 2010. This is West Virginia’s premier WWII event. Located in the ... ...
On April 24, Mark Tennant and I drove to Oakland, MD for a scheduled Civil War living history. We were to meet up with some other reenactors at the gazebo by the train station, however, to our dismay, we learned that there had been a glitch and the event had been cancelled, but no one ... ...
The following is a review of an event in Petersburg, WV by our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The last full weekend of April in Petersburg, WV sees the three day Spring Mountain Festival. This year it ran April 23-25. One of the big events for the weekend is the Civil War Train which runs on Saturday ... ...