The 17th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend announces the programs for the weekend event on June 13 & 14. At 11:30 both days Jack Baylis and his grand daughter Jessica, portraying Abraham Lincoln and Grace Bedell, will tell the story of why President Lincoln had a beard. Both Saturday and Sunday include presentations on Civil War medical technology with Bill Mayers at the Union medical tent, and an 1860 fashion show in Terry Jordan’s Barrancas Mercantile. There is a walking tour of Historic Peterboro with Donna Burdick, the Town of Smithfield Historian, and Beth Spokowsky, the President of the Peterboro Area Museum and the Chair of the Civil War Weekend Committee
On Saturday at noon Dr. Milton C. Sernett will present ”John Brown’s Civil War” at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum at the Smithfield Community Center. At 1 and 3 p.m. the 77th New York Regimental Balladeers will play the first of afternoon concerts and an evening concert at the Community Center at 8 p.m. On Sunday Tim McNamara, as a reenactor minister of the U.S. Christian Commission, will lead a church service. Later in the afternoon the Irish Volunteers will play foot stomping Civil War music at 1 and 3 o’clock.
Throughout the weekend the Civil War Heritage Foundation will have rows of tents with military and civilian portrayals of generals, officers, enlisted men, politicians, musicians, doctors, nurses, and children. The Civil War Heritage Foundation (CWHF) is dedicated to preserving the mid 19th Century history of our nation by way of first person impressions, formal and informal talks, presentations, and encampments. The CWHF also provides the learning stations for the fifth grade Living History Day on Friday, June 12th. All day long demonstrations at the annual event show how soldiers lived in camp and prepared for battle. A skirmish is held both days at 2 p.m. Ladies of the camps will demonstrate the tasks of daily life in the mid 19th Century. Daughters of the Union Veterans, Sons of the Union Veterans, and Revolutionary War reenactors are among the groups that will set up for the weekend. Ghost Seekers of CNY joins the activities for this first time this year. Especially for children, there are period games in a tent all weekend, and military activities on the green at 12:30 both days lead by reenactors Tim Rawlins and Ross Whitford. The United States Postal Service brings commemorative cachet covers with special event cancellations both days. Period craft demonstrations include chair caners Harold and Lisa Gardinier, and spinner Robin Suarez. The Peterboro Conservation Club and the Onondaga County Civil War Round Table will set up on the green again.
Historical shopping is provided by large sutler tents filled with merchandise that the merchants following the troops would have provided. Sutlers include John Hogan’s Ahwaga Sutlery, Terry Jordan’s Barrancas Mercantile, Bob Knowlton’s Woodworking, David MacLean’s Winterbourne Crossing Forge and Craft, and the event’s own General Store, which is open its two days of the year with souvenirs, home baked goods, and CDs to reserve of the event. Patrick Schroeder, historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, and owner of Schroeder Publishing, will be at the store with an assortment of Civil War books for sale.
The Peterboro Area Museum is open both days on the east side of the green. The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark will be open both days featuring Journey to the North: New York’s Freedom Trail, an exhibition developed for the NYS Historical Association by students in the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum studies. Denise and Rod Richer will hold an antique tool display in The Barn on the estate. The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum open house at the Smithfield Community Center is from 12 – 4 on Saturday with banners on abolition inductees, displays on slavery, and refreshments.
The Peterboro United Methodist Church will be grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage again and Howards’ Creamery will be hand dipping ice cream. The Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department Chicken Barbeque begins at noon on Saturday. Ma & Pa’s Kettle Corn will also be opening The Spud Shack.
Peterboro Civil War Weekend is an educational and fundraising event sponsored by the Town of Smithfield, the Smithfield Community Association, and private donors. Proceeds from the event support the preservation and promotion of the heritage of the Town of Smithfield. During the event Peterboro relives the period of the mid 1800s when the hamlet held national recognition because of Gerrit Smith’s Underground Railroad station, the visitations of famous abolitionists, and the connection with John Brown that sparked the War Between the States. Peterboro sites are on the Heritage NY Underground Railroad Trail and on the National Park Service Network to Freedom National Underground Railroad Trail. Saturday June 13 hours for the event are 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday June 14 from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for ages 6 – 12, and free for children under 6. Five dollar admission for the 8 p.m. concert on Saturday are available at the door. Parking is free. For more information: 315-684-9022, and www.sca-peterboro.org
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