
John M. Hoffman, Jr. conducts the 73rd Infantry Band at the Wolcott Keeper’s House, which returns on Saturday, Oct. 9 for the Marblehead Lighthouse Festival.
The Ottawa County Historical Society invites members, guests and visitors to the annual Civil War Encampment Event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Wolcott Keeper’s House, 9999 Bayshore Rd., Danbury. The Keeper’s House will be celebrating during the Marblehead Lighthouse Festival in Marblehead.
The event will feature demonstrations of how Civil War soldiers lived and worked and drilled in camp, presented by members of the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, led by Brian Porter. The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Band, conducted by John M. Hoffman, Jr., will give hourly performances of period military music.
In 1865, when the funeral train bearing President Abraham Lincoln’s body visited Cleveland, the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Band was there to perform.
Docents will provide tours of the historic house that once belonged to Benajah Wolcott. A pioneer, farmer, surveyor, fiddler, saddle maker and Revolutionary War veteran, Wolcott was appointed by President James Monroe in 1822 as the first keeper of the Sandusky Light, now the Marblehead Lighthouse.
Period fare, including hot bean soup and cornbread, will be available to all. Hearth-cooking specialist Becky Shemenski and her associates will demonstrate pioneer food preparation at the house’s massive wood-burning main fireplace. Homemade pies are anticipated.
New to this year’s event will be offerings by History Speaks, Nancy Dunham’s story-telling group. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., narrator Katie Swank will present four different performers in costume with Ohio-oriented tales from the Civil War, including events surrounding the conspiracy to free Confederate prisoners on Johnson’s Island.
A raffle drawing will take place for prizes that include a Ben Richmond print, a copy of the book, “History of Ottawa County, The 1st 175 Years,” and a gift certificate to Village Pro Hardware in Marblehead. Tickets will be sold until the drawing at 3 p.m.
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