The Historic 125th Anniversary and Rededication of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch 10 a.m. - Saturday, September 17, 2011 Bushnell Park in

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch is one of Hartford and Connecticut’s most iconic Civil War monuments. Originally dedicated in 1886 on the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, tens of thousands turned out for the event to honor the more than 4,000 Hartford men who fought to defend the nation. Please join the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission, the Bushnell Park Foundation, and many other organizations in an historic rededication ceremony as we continue to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

The Arch ceremony will take place directly on Trinity St. in front of the Arch, and begin at approximately 9:45 with a number of Civil War reenactor, veterans, and current military Color Guard units marching from the Capitol Building to the Arch. The units will stand at parade rest while the ceremony takes place, from 10 to 11 a.m.

Speakers include:

 Diane Smith (President of Diane Smith Media - as host)  Joseph Williams (President, Bushnell Park Foundation)  Olivia White (Executive Director, Amistad Center at the Wadsworth Atheneum)  Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz (Commissioner of Veterans Affairs)  Dr. Matthew Warshauer (Co-Chair, CT Civil War Commemoration Commission)  Howard Wright (Abraham Lincoln Reenactor)

The ceremony will conclude with a 21 gun salute, fired by Civil War reenactors from Connecticut regiments.

For more information: www.ccsu.edu/civilwar After the Arch Ceremony:

Explore downtown Hartford and be amazed by the depth and range of Civil War related sites. Everything you need to know for a day of visits is listed below.

 Tour the Arch and look out over Bushnell Park in a way you’ve never done before.  Take a walking tour of various Hartford historical sites.  Visit the Amistad Center for Art & American Culture at the Wadsworth – African-American art and history  Visit Connecticut’s Old State House – Civil War reenactors and General Nathaniel Lyon remembrance  Visit Connecticut Landmark’s Butler McCook House – The Fighting McCooks  See the new exhibits at the Museum of Connecticut History – One of the best CT Civil War collections in the state  Tour the State Capitol Building – Battle Flag Collection/assorted monuments

The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

600 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103 (860) 838-4046 http://www.thewadsworth.org/ http://amistadartandculture.org/center.php

War Prizes: The Cultural Legacy of Slavery & the Civil War

The exhibit commemorates the Civil War anniversary with an opportunity to reconsider the cultural journey of African Americans. For many twentieth century African American arts and cultural figures the legacy of slavery and the Civil War defined career, influenced private life, and left lasting emotional issues to resolve as they endeavored to reclaim their culture and imagery. Arguably the emotionally charged imagery is the war’s most powerful and pervasive legacy.

Hours Saturday and Sunday:10 am–5 pm Admission: Café: 10 am – 3:30 pm $10 Adults $8 Seniors (62+) $5 Students (13 and up with college ID) Free Children 12 and under

Connecticut's Old State House 800 Main Street Hartford, CT 06103 860-522-6766 http://ctoldstatehouse.org/

Connecticut’s Old State House will mark September 17th with a Civil War reenactor experience and a remembrance of General Nathaniel Lyon. The first Union general killed in the Civil War, Lyon’s body was returned home to Connecticut and lay in state at the Old State House before burial on September 5 in his home town of Ashford, CT. The Old State House Senate Chamber will feature a re-creation of Lyon lying in state, with costumed interpreters reading poems and songs in Lyon's honor. A small temporary exhibit about General Lyon will be set up in the Treasurer's Office, with a variety of items that belonged to General Lyon, on loan from the Connecticut Historical Society.

Civil War reenactors from a number of Connecticut Regiments (the 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th and 27th) will be stationed on the OSH Lawn from noon to 3 PM and will set up a recruiting station and demonstrate mustering.

Visitors can also enjoy Civil War themed tours of the building and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. Admission fees are $6 for adults and $3 for seniors and youth ages 6-17. Children 5 and under are free.

Butler McCook House & Garden A Connecticut Landmark 396 Main Street Hartford, CT 06103 860.522.1806 [email protected] History Moving Forward www.ctlandmarks.org

Join guides from Connecticut Landmarks for a walking tour of Hartford. We will begin on the corner of Elm & Trinity Street with a discussion of the State Capitol and the Bushnell Theatre, then walk through Bushnell Park. The tour will then take a right past the Pump House, up Hudson to Capitol Ave. and take a left to Main St., where we will take a left and continue to the Old State House, pointing out all of the historical sites as we go. Tour goers will also have an opportunity to visit the Butler McCook house and see a variety of Civil War items from the collection. The walkers can leave the tour to visit any of the sites or continue to the end.

Signs will direct participants where to start the tour, which will leave about every 15- 20 minutes. All tours are free and open to the public.

Museum of Connecticut History Connecticut State Library 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 860-757-6535 www.museumofcthistory.org/

Two Special Civil War Exhibits!!!

Rare Connecticut Civil War artifacts – firearms, equipment, ammunition, swords, photographs, letters, and much, much more – experience an exhibit that demonstrates how Connecticut Armed the Union, with state weaponry manufactories supplying an astonishing 43% of all the American-made firearms bought by the US War Department. In addition, the musical legacy of Henry Clay Work, Connecticut’s “chief singer of the Civil War,” is revealed in Marching with Henry C. Work through songbooks, postcards, period ephemera, and twentieth century recorded sound media. Free reprints of past articles in the magazine Connecticut Explored, with these titles, serve as catalogs of these two mini-exhibits set up especially to accompany the Hartford Civil War Memorial Arch commemoration ceremonies.

Museum of Connecticut History, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut. Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Sundays, state holidays & state holiday weekends. Saturday September 17 – open until 3pm

The Museum of Connecticut History is always free and open to the public.

Connecticut State Capitol Connecticut State Library 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 www.cga.ct.gov/capitoltours

The Connecticut State Capitol building, completed in 1878, is in many ways a shrine to the Civil War. The outside of the building has numerous Civil War monuments, including Generals Sedgewick and Terry, Lincoln’s Secretary of Navy Gideon Wells, the Andersonville Boy statue dedicated to those Connecticut Civil War soldiers who perished in the infamous Southern prison camp, and the Petersburg Express (a seacoast mortar used in the siege of Petersburg. And that’s just the outside. The building is also home to the Hall of Flags, which includes battle flags from numerous Connecticut Civil War regiments, as well as a statue of Civil War Governor William Buckingham, among other items.

Walking tours of the building’s grounds will be conducted and we are working to have the first floor opened from 11. a.m. to 3 p.m. Civil War reenactors will greet visitors, pose for pictures, and answer questions about the Civil War. There will also be a period game of croquette on the front lawn of the Capitol at 1 p.m. Don’t miss Civil War reenactors, Governor Buckingham, and President Lincoln playing a classic match.

Commemorating a Connecticut icon