Where History Is Happening

Links to Some Upcoming Events

The Medical Side of the Civil War
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
1 pm
Author and history professor Glenna Schroeder-Lein gives an overview of the development of mass medical care during the American Civil War. The establishment of hospitals, roles of caregivers, and common diseases will be discussed. Refreshments served immediately following in the Glos Mansion in Elmhurst. Free admission, donations appreciated.

Illinois Answers the Call: Boys in Blue
Through Decemberl 30, 2011
9:00 a.m.. - 5:00 p.m. Daily
The Springfield museum has a new exhibit opening that features pictures, letters, sketches and songs from the Illinois men who fought on the side of the Union against Confederate forces during the war. The display includes pictures of the soldiers, diaries and artifacts. Among the featured items is a commission for Illinois native General Benjamin Grierson that was signed by Abraham Lincoln. But that military commission will only be on display until June 1.

The Fiery Trial Exhibit
Mondays
12:00 am - 5:00 PM
At the Kenosha Civil War Museuam, the Fiery Trial tells the personal stories of the men and women of the Upper MIddle West - specifically Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan. Through state-of-the-art museum technology, life-size dioramas, and interactive engaging exhibits, visitors travel back in history to the social, political, and economic influences that contributed to the Civil War.From the home front, to the railroad and waterways, to the battlefront and back home again, the Civil War is seen through the eyes of soldiers, nurses, spouses, children, clergymen, slaves, tradesmen, and the others who lived it. Experience the battlefront, the incredible logistics and resources that were required to mount the war effort, and the deep emotions that tore families apart.

The American Civil War - 150 Years

Throughout 2011 museums will be observing the anniversary of the Civil War. For some history buffs, that means re-evaluating the politics that triggered the rupture of our young country. Others intently analyze the battles as if the campaigns were real-life chessboards. Still others like to compare our everyday experiences with those of our ancestors 150 years ago to see how things have changed and what has stayed the same.

It’s not so very far back when you think about it. Maudie Hopkins, the woman widely thought of as the last Civil War Widow died in 2008, just three years ago. Of course she didn’t experience the War herself, but she spent several years with a man who did.

Illinois has particularly deep Civil War connections, even though no battles were ever fought on our state’s soil. We are of course the Land of Lincoln, the President forever remembered for his efforts at holding our nation together. The politics of Stephen Douglas fanned the fires of War and Ulysses S. Grant led the Union army into War.

Several prisoner of war camps existed in Illinois including Camp Douglas in Chicago, named after Stephen Douglas and considered the largest mass grave in the western hemisphere. Nearly 6000 Confederate soldiers were buried there at one time. Since then, the remains were moved to Lincoln Park and then on to Oak Woods and Rosehill Cemetery.

An Illinois native also claims to have fired the first shot at Gettysburg. Marcellus Jones of Glen Ellyn and later of Wheaton borrowed a gun from his buddy Levi Shafer, a Naperville native, and is supposed to have fired on advancing Confederate troops. He missed and a couple of other soldiers may have also fired around the same time, but Jones ensured his place in history. He, Shafer and a third friend, Alex Riddler, had a stone marker cut in Naperville commemorating their contribution. Then they dragged it all the way to Pennsylvania, purchased a bit of land from a local farmer, and erected their monument which still stands today.

Whether your interest is in battlefields, photography, recipes or fashion, you’ll no doubt find a Civil War exhibit this year that interests you. Visit one or two. This is your history, too.

Talk Books and History with Kate this Month

Want to hear a little about local history or learn a little about writing books? You’ll have the opportunity to do both this month!

On Saturday, April 16 Kate will be one of more than 25 authors selling, signing and talking books at the gorgeous new Fountaindale Library in Bolingbrook at their Author Fair. To cap off Library Week, authors will be on hand from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm, with some brief presentations and readings planned. You – or your child – are also welcome to stop and chat about what you’re reading or writing and get tips straight from the horse’s mouth.

On Thursday, April 21 Kate will present “Sailing to Will County” at Cedarlake Village in Plainfield. Few people realize how many of our early prairie pioneers arrived by ship! While this presentation is specifically for residents of Cedarlake Village, guests are also welcome.

Where History Is Happening

Links to Some Upcoming Events

The Civil War and DuPage County: A Local Perspective Saturday, April 16, 2011 12 pm - 4 pm Join us for the exhibit opening which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War by reflecting on the relationship between the soldiers and their families and friends during this time of dramatic change and hardship. Letters, photos and documents from the Museum’s archives are featured as well as many artifacts from the permanent collection.

Plant Medicines Past and Present Wednesday, April 20, 2011 6:00 p.m. Kitchen at Farmhouse Museum, Elk Grove Village Join certified herbalist, Jenny Pawlak, for an informative talk about plant medicines that were used in the 1800's and which herbal remedies are still used today. Refreshments such as tea and lavender cookies will be available. Participants will also create a simple lavender sleep pillow. Suitable for ages 15 and older. Regisration required by April 18th due to limited seating. $3 Historical Society Members/$5 non-members

Sheep Shearng at Kline Creek Farm Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17 10:00 am - 4:00 PM Watch as sheepdogs herd the flock and farmhands shear sheep. Then, learn how washed wool becomes spun yarn. Activities ongoing. All ages. Free. Registration not required.

Stephen Douglas, We Hardly Know Ye

While most folks have heard of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and some are familiar with “The Little Giant” nickname, that’s usually the extant of their knowledge of Stephen Douglas. Particularly from residents of Illinois, however, Douglas deserves a little more attention.

“The Little Giant” moniker refers to his short stature – he was only five foot four – as well as to his standing in political circles where he was well-respected. Douglas served in the Illinois House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He was also States’ Attorney, Illinois Secretary of State and an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Douglas also ran for President against Abraham Lincoln in 1860, but the famous debates actually occurred in 1858 when the two men were both seeking election to the Senate. Douglas didn’t win the Presidential race, but he did win the Senate seat.

Stephen Douglas and the slavery issue are much discussed. He wrote the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which inflamed the Republican Party and helped polarize the northern and southern states. Douglas wasn’t really pro-slavery, but he wasn’t really anti-slavery either. In fact, he was in possession of slaves inherited from his first wife who owned a cotton plantation.

Douglas bought lots of land in Chicago and intended to make a good profit on it once the railroads started reaching across the Mississippi River. For that to happen, he needed to move along the laws that would open up Kansas and Nebraska to settlement. Illinois, whom Douglas represented in Washington, was a slave-free state and so Douglas was expected to prohibit slavery in the new territories. But he needed the support of southern lawmakers to get the bill passed and they of course wanted to allow slavery.

Trying to fill his role as the ultimate compromiser, Douglas proposed that the residents of those territories be given the right to determine whether they would or would not allow slavery. Besides, he figured the climate was such that southern-style plantations would never take hold in Nebraska and so slaves wouldn’t even be needed, making the whole debate moot.

Douglas’s attempts to compromise backfired and the fall-out became more fuel to the fire that was smoldering between the North and the South. By the time President Lincoln took office 150 years this month, the Confederate States had already declared succession.

He may have lost the Presidency to Lincoln, but Douglas wasn’t about to lose the country. He immediately turned all of his considerable energy toward supporting the new President and reconciliation. Unfortunately, he contracted typhoid fever and died just a few weeks after the Civil War began at the age of 48.