Civil War Days
Troop 60 helped out at the Blackford County Civil War Days this past weekend. Our duties included trash pick-up, gate management and running an entrance booth. Here are some photos and a story from the Star Press about the event:
The Civil War is about to break out again — in Blackford County.
About 6,000 spectators are expected to come out to see how some 400 re-enactors relive the war and its era Oct. 12-14 on 125 rolling acres just east of Hartford City on Ind. 26.
The first day is devoted exclusively to students. About 2,400 of them from all over the state — Amish and home-schooled included — are expected to show up Friday for Education Day, the most important day of the weekend, according to Orville Uggin, president of the Blackford County Civil War Re-enactors Club.
“You can talk about Civil War characters that you read about in books. But here you can talk to them,” he said.
The weekend is not a party celebrating a war, he said. “It’s an education. There’s so much people don’t know about the war. These people (the re-enactors) are real experts. The people portraying Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, the prairie farmer, Sam Clemens and others have studied their character for years.
“There are things that you can see here that you can’t find in a book. You can ask these people questions and they will have answers.
“We’ll show you how people really lived back then,” he added.
Earl Willman has been involved with Civil War Days since 1999.
“I thought it was a good thing,” he said. “It’s just a lot of history. One man told me learned more history here in one day than he did in all of school.”
Willman is the treasurer of the organization and is in charge of paying the re-enactors.
“Not all of them get paid,” he said. “But a few of them get paid very well. Others receive token reimbursements for their expenses.”
The weather, he says, is the major concern now that “show time” is nearing. Over the years the group experienced all kinds of weather, including snow, rain, high winds, mud and of course beautiful autumn days.
“I just hope the weather is good for the weekend and everybody comes out and enjoys it,” he said. “We’ve had it all, and we go on rain or shine or whatever.”