WWII - Western Front. Odessa, New York. September 10, 11,12, 2010. For information, contact:

odessaevent@gmail.com

Civil War – September 10, McGrew House Living History, Kingwood, WV. For information:

http://www.mainstreetkingwood.org

WWII – September 10, 11, 12. Greenwood Lake Airshow (WWII Themed) 126 Airport Road, West Milford, New Jersey 07480. Large living history area. Allied and Axis groups welcome. Camps will incorporate some static period aircraft. Ice and cold water provided to reenactors. Call 973-728-1143 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              973-728-1143      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email:

greenwoodlakeairportairshow@gmail.com   Website: www.greenwoodlakeairshow.com

Old West – September 11 to October 10, located at 1449 Greenbush Cobb Rd, Williamsburg Ohio, 45176 between Mt. Orab and Williamsburg, Ohio just off St. Rt. 32, just 15 minutes from Cincinnati, off I-275. Authentic Dodge City Old West town. Come in your best period attire. For info, see:

http://www.oldwestfestival.com

WWII – Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In. September 18, 2010, Terrell Municipal Airport, Terrell, TX. The BFTS museum is hosting a Fly-In to honor the WWII British pilots who trained here and the American officers and civilian staff who assisted with that training.

For more information please contact Freda Freeman:

no1bftsmuseum@yahoo.com

WWII – WWII Weekend, Eisenhower Farm. September 18 – 19, Gettysburg, PA. For information:

http://www.nps.gov/eise/parknews/world-war-ii-weekend.htm

WWII – WWII Living History, Old Mill Village, New Milford, PA. All allied and Axis military impressions welcome. Military vehicles welcome, but tracked vehicles can be used for static display only. Contact Chris Kane for details: herc00798@yahoo.com website: http://www.oldmillvillage.org

Timeline Event – The American Soldier at War, September 25-26, Corrick’s Ford Battlefield, Parsons, WV. For information:

http://americansoldieratwar.webs.com

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.”

The site is maintained as a memorial to the crew by the Maine Air National Guard, which has provided interpretive signage. There is a large stone slab which lists the crew. The site is located immediately off one of the unpaved roads which crisscross the mountain offering access to the many fishermen who frequent the many ponds and lake located there. It is reasonably easy to find and no trouble to access once you get there. Please remember that this is a memorial and as such is a No-Removal site. So please leave it as you found it.

If you are in this area, I recommend that you try to visit this site. Aside from the impressive natural surroundings, it is a unique opportunity to pay your respects to some brave men who died in service to their country in a little-known footnote to the Cold War.

For more information about the the 1963 B-52 Bomber crash click here.

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 myself, the 193rd rifle Division had a very substantial display around the schoolhouse at the rear of the village.

There seemed to be fewer reenactors this year than usual, and I suspect that part of the reason for this was the conflict with the ‘ Bridge at Remagen’ event which was going on the same weekend at Tidioute, PA. There is always the possibility of conflicts between events, but it is a shame that two quality WWII events occur on the same weekend and draw from basically the same pool of reenactors. I could have gone to either, but once again chose to support the Village, especially in view of the tough year it has had and with a changeover in management with the departure of long-time Director, Roger Kirwin.

Even though the reenactor turnout seemed to be down, the spectator attendence was as good or better than usual, and we were usually kept busy interacting with interested and enthusiastic passerby. This of course, means more revenue for the Village. The hospitality of the Village was gracious as always and we were treated to a fine dinner on Saturday evening. The new director (whose name I did not catch) spoke to the assembled reenactors, and seemed to very interested in the continuing the close relationship that the Village has long maintained with the reenacting community.  The annual Saturday night luau was a good time as always and a number of party-goers stayed into the wee hours. As for myself, I was in my sleeping bag by 10:30pm. I guess I’m just really not the party animal anymore.

All in all, the event was another successful weekend of living history, and one that justifies (at least to me) all the trouble it takes to load up and haul the sizable display that I have accumulated over the last few years.

http://onlinemastersdegree.org/100-best-books-on-war

Have fun!

Jim

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 for a stroll, some were having a picnic, others sitting on porches visiting with neighbors.  The Germans who had taken up residence in some abandoned dwellings were sunning themselves, washing clothes, airing uniforms, mending equipment etc. No one was itching to fight.  There were even tourists roaming about asking questions and taking photographs.

On the other end of the village a group of Russians had taken up residence, across the street from a German police unit and observing a truce. People of Europe can actually live at peace with one another, provided that politics doesn’t raise its ugly head.
Then the peace of the village was interrupted by the sudden appearance of an American jeep. An American patrol was probing into the village to look for Germans. Someone reported the American presence to Ray Partenheimer the village Feldgendarm, who blew his whistle.  The German abteilung of the Hoch Gebirgs were the first to respond, led by Mark Laratonda and his dog Blitz, other Germans soon ran to the woods between the river and the main road into town to set up an ambush. I was in the process of changing out of shorts to long woolen keilhosen when this happened and only got into the woods seconds before the Americans arrived.  Joe Wiedel yelled for me to hide because my mustard yellow Luftwaffe tunic, (our unit had been supplied by the Luftwaffe) might give away our position.
A sniper Kevin Ecke, positioned himself behind me and was among the first to fire a shot at the enemy.  We heard Ray’s whistle and knew that we had to lay down suppressing fire.
I could not see who I was shooting at but shot in the direction from which I had seen an American helmet.

The fire-fight lasted only about 15 minutes with the Amis being chased out of the village.

Bill Donegan

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 in 1933 to remedy the squalid living conditions among unemployed coal miners in the Scott’s Run area of neighboring Monongalia County. Many of these miners had been without jobs for years and they and their families were living very marginal existences. This situation was brought to her attention by her friend, Lorena Hickok. Eleanor then brought the situation to the attention of her husband, who placed the project under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. (Wikipedia)

Eventually 165 homesteads were built on the 2500 acre plot and the families chosen to rent them were given the training and means to raise much of their own food and businesses were encouraged to locate in the area to provide jobs. Eventually, however, the lack of cost-efficient transportation doomed most of the businesses and by the late thirties, as the US moved a war footing, the project was abandoned by the government and the homes sold off to the renters. Critics have called the project a failure for this reason, but, for the people who lived there, it gave them and their families a decent place to live, as well as founding a permanent community. So in this way the project was a success. Eleanor continued to visit the community up until the 1960′s.

Every year, the local historical association,  Arthurdale Heritage Inc. sponsors a New Deal Festival to commemorate the founding of the community and raise money to continue the work of historical preservation in the community. The event itself involves period music, good food, games for the kids and living history presentations including rides in antique cars and horse-drawn carts with the President, First Lady and other 1930′s personalities.

Professional Living Historian, Patty Cooper again did a fine job in portraying Eleanor, while Bill Donegan provided a fine FDR. Bill’s wife, Linda, portrayed Elsie Clapp, first administrator of the community school. I got to be Josephus Daniels, who was ambassador to Mexico at the time of FDR’s only visit to Arthurdale in 1938. (FDR gave the commencement address to the High School that year)Daniels, a longtime friend of the President accompanied the Roosevelts on that particular trip.

We had a great time at this event. It was an interesting departure from the usual military living history and offered some different avenues to explore for impressions. Also, the event itself is well-run and offers a lot to many different people, all for a worthy cause. I think it has potential to grow. However, we can always use more living historians in period clothing, so if you are interested, get some duds and come on out!

http://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthurdale,_West_Virginia

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 us had been there since the new visitors center had opened in 2008.  I’d heard many good things about the new facility and couldn’t wait to see it.

Our first stop, upon arriving in Gettysburg, was the visitors center.  It was situated away from the main parts of the battlefield in a secluded area, but not too far.  Landscape nearby was left as natural as could be and could still accommodate parking and visitors.  Signage was well organized and things easy to find.

The exterior of the building was stone and glass.  Several post looked like hand hewn logs.  The middle area, accommodating the Paul Philippoteaux cyclorama painting, was built to resemble the cyclorama buildings of the 19th century.

We entered the facility via the main entrance and found it spacious and well organized.  After a quick trip to the easily found restrooms, we purchased tickets for the video and cyclorama.  Tickets were $10.50 per adult, $6.50 for 13-18 year olds.  Discounts are offered to “active duty” military personnel.  The film and cyclorama run every half hour from 8am to 4:30.  After a short wait in line we were ushered into the theatre.  Special seating for handicap was in the rear, all others were asked to descend the steps and take seats.  The screen was arced and large.  Seating was arranged to make the film easily viewed by all.

The film was excellent.  Hosted by everyone’s favorite sergeant-major, Morgan Freeman.  The explanations given for the start of the war were unbiased and tried to show both sides.  Reenactors used in the film were, unlike yours truly, young and slim, adding to the accuracy thereof.  The sound quality was unbelievable.  After explaining Lee’s artillery bombardment of 3 July 1863, the sound system was kicked into overdrive.

After the video we were ushered into the hall and directed to an escalator.  We were taken directly into the cyclorama.  The cyclorama had been completely redone to its original quality as it had been displayed in Boston in the 1880s.  The 14 feet of missing sky was back.  The viewing platform was raised higher than the 1963-2005 facility.  The diorama foreground was back.  Between the viewing platform and painting was dirt, grass, equipment, roads and more.  Things were matched so well, it was hard to tell where the diorama ended and the painting began.  Wheel tracks lined up perfectly.  A figure, drawing water from a well, had originally been painted to have the third leg of the well’s tripod be actual wood extending into the diorama.  It was restored.  The tripod had had just two legs for over 40 years.  The only bad thing was we did not get to spend near enough time viewing.  We were ushered out and back to the lobby.  There are also special events called “an evening with the painting”  in which you can spend an hour and a half with a paining expert.  These are only held on certain days, about twice a month.

After exiting we looked at a small area concerning some of the history of the painting.  There had been five versions, one each in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Wake Forrest.  Gettysburg houses the Boston version, the only one known to still exist.  Each version had subtle differences.  Gen. Armistead is incorrectly portrayed on horseback in the Gettysburg painting.  In other versions Philippoteaux corrected this mistake.  Other cycloramas of other battles also existed in the 19th century, but with the invention of the moving picture show, the cycloramas soon fell out of favor, were neglected and lost.

We then showed our tickets once again to gain access to the museum.  The museum was a series of rooms that wound to and fro.  The rooms were themed on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  It was well organized as well.  Civil War buffs will recognize some of the displays from the old museum, but there was plenty of new displays as well.  There was an interactive touch screen for kids next to a set of equipment that could be lifted to feel the weight a soldier carried.  Near the end of the museum were photos of hundreds of soldiers, North and South who had served at Gettysburg.  For fun, I thought I’d see if I could recognize any faces.  I couldn’t believe it!  At the bottom, on the Confederate side was Upshur County’s own Col. John C. Higganbothom.  It was the charcoal likeness his sister had draw after his death at Spotsylvania.

We then visited the very well stocked book store.  Be careful, you could spend a bunch of money in there.  I did purchase a $20 book on the cyclorama’s history and restoration.  All profits go to preservation efforts at Gettysburg.  Photography is allowed in the lobby, but not in the museum or cyclorama.  The museum also has a sizable restaurant.  We didn’t eat there but it looked very nice.

I then drove my family around the battlefield, being careful not to spend too much time there before getting them to the tourist shopping areas.  We saw the old museum has been razed.  There is no longer evidence of its existence.  The old cyclorama is fenced in and scheduled for destruction.  This should give Zeigler’s Grove a far more authentic look.

This proved to be one of the best outings I’d ever had with my family.  God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful family.  I highly recommend the new Gettysburg visitors center to all Civil War enthusiast.  I also recommend it to all Americans, enthusiast or not.  This is a portion of our common history we should all know.

Submitted
Matthew P. Gillespie
3 August 2010

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 party (Wikipedia) and was the adopted home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of  Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Lincoln also picked his first Vice-President from Maine-Hannibal Hamlin.

Also, Maine contributed more manpower, per capita, than any other Union state. The most famous of which was the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry which was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Colonel Lawrence L. Chamberlain. Most of you have probably seen the movie, “Gettysburg” which starred Jeff Daniels in the role of Col. Chamberlain, and some of you, like myself, worked as reenactor extras on the film.

So, I was particularly interested in seeing everything that I could about Maine’s Civil War heritage during the trip. One of our first stops was at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor. This is one of America’s first ‘garden’ cemeteries and is the final resting place for many Maine Civil war soldiers. Below you will see markers for soldiers from the 20th and 2nd Maine infantries, for example. There is also an imposing memorial to the Union dead of Maine at the cemetery.  This consists of a large castle tower ringed with crenalation at the top. There was a large gun which appeared to be a 30-pounder Parrott rifle on a an iron naval mounting  gazing out from the battlement.  A semi-circle of grave markers of Civil War soldiers and sailors lay on the uphill side of the monument. At the corners of this area were four smoothbore guns of howitzer length mounted on wooden naval carriages. If anyone can definitely identify these  guns, make a comment below. Near the Civil War memorial is a large Korean War memorial which was bordered by the flags of all the United Nations participants in that war and a listing of the Maine dead.

Later in the trip, we visite the Chamberlain statue in Brewer, Maine, which is just across the Penobscot River from Bangor. This features a large statue of Colonel Chamberlain and below him near the highway is a statue of a freed slave. Chamberlain served as governor of Maine for 4 terms after the war and also as the president of Bowdoin College. He is still a much-admired figure in the state.

In fact, all during the trip, we encountered Civil War monuments in our travels. According to Wikipedia, about 70 thousand Maine men served in the Union military and the impact on the state was deeply felt.  If you are interested in the Civil War, Gettysburg and Virginia aren’t the only places to check out. Take a look at Maine. Just watch out for the black flies!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_in_the_American_Civil_War

http://www.mthopebgr.com/photo-gallery

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 our various tents and shelters. Having spent most of June carting large displays around to Reading and Rowlesburg, I decided to go light to this event, which is a one-day affair. As a result, I only brought a shelter tent, but ended up staying in Don Grimm’s command tent anyway, since he had room. (Thanks Don!) As it was, we had a lot of tentage for the space we were assigned, so it is just as well that I didn’t bring my larger tent.

The Freedom Fest itself  is very reminiscent of a good old fashioned 4th of July celebration held on the village square. The shelter which housed the main activities was decorated in red, white and blue and there were patriotic speakers and musical numbers throughout the day. There was also lots and lots of  free food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, covered dishes and a variety of desserts were available all day. There was also plenty of bottled water and soda pop. Throughout the day, we were constantly asked if we needed drinks. It was hot and sunny and we did, so this was a great convenience.

In the field in front of our camp, festival goers played volleyball, ascended  a climbing wall and took part in other strenuous activities, while door prizes were being given away in the main shelter. I usually never win anything, but Bill Burress and I managed to take home a couple of decent prizes. Goes to show that it never hurts to fill out a ticket!

While this was only a one-day event, all throughout the day we had a constant stream of  spectators who asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in our presentations. As I have said before, events like these attract folks who may never attend a regular living history event. Hopefully, some of those we talked with will have their interest in history heightened and they may even read a  book or become aware of the need to preserve what we have of our history.

At any rate, the folks at Freedom Fest really seemed to enjoy what we brought to the event. The hospitality we received was excellent. I can only say thanks to the organizers.