Las Golondrinas Civil War Weekend, May 14-15, 2011

This free digital slideshow created with Smilebox The Las Golondrinas Civil War Weekend is held the first weekend of May each year at Rancho De Las Golondrinas http://www.golondrinas.org/, a living history farm near Santa Fe, NM.This rancho has been active since the 1600s.  There are many acres available for Federal and Confederate camps as well as a large field for the battle.  The two battles that are reenacted are the battle of Glorietta Pass and the battle of Val Verde, both of which took place not far from there. The New Mexico Civil War Congress and the New Mexico Civil War Ladies League, sponsors of the event are planning an even larger event next year.  Next year will be the 150th anniversary of the two battles that took place here in New Mexico.  Check these websites for updates http://newmexicocwcommcongress.org/ and http://newmexicocwladiesleague.com/. Consider attending this wonderful event next year as either a participant or a spectator. 

Fort Garland Living History, May 28-29, 2011

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Fort Garland Museum held its Living History Days on Memorial Day weekend 2011.  Fort Garland is a very nice museum/fort built of adobe near Ft. Garland, CO. Kit Carson was the commander there in 1866-67.  The fort was invaded by soldiers, cavalry troopers, artillery, and ladies.  On Saturday, there was a ladies tea, dinner and dance.  Sunday saw a pass in review flag raising and period church service.  There were many visitors to observe Ft. Garland to come alive that weekend.

Explaining the Victorian Era

Explaining the Victorian Era  http://www.victorianamagazine.com/archives/11060

Find free learning resources from museums and libraries online to help explain the Victorian Era to children. Many feature video, virtual games and teacher worksheets in addition to lots of pictures. Here are a few places to get started:

Walk Through a Victorian House
The Victorian Servant
Dress a Victorian
Be a Victorian Millionaire Now!
Move It! In 1850 By Train, Wagon And Boat
Toys Of The Past
Children in Victorian Britain

More Civil War Resources

Charlestonians watch the Confederate bombardment of Ft. Sumter from rooftops overlooking the Bay.

This NPS 150th anniversary Civil War website also offers a comprehensive calendar of 150th anniversary events at more than 70 national parks and partner sites across the country, as well as historical features and resources that illustrate how the events of 150 years ago continue to be reflected in America today. http://www.nps.gov/civilwar150

Fictional Civil War Correspondent highlights each day of the Civil War on Twitter.  This is an interesting way to intrique students.  http://twitter.com/#!/CivilWarReportr

Docs Teach  The National Archives has created a new web site to help educators teach with primary-source documents. The site, called DocsTeach, not only lets teachers explore documents in a variety of media from the National Archives holdings, but it also includes online tools to help teachers combine these materials and create engaging history activities for students. http://www.docsteach.org/

NPS Events of Civil War list http://www.nps.gov/cwindepth/

Civil War E-Series of Books   Eastern National is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War with electronic editions of eParks' National Park Civil War Series of books.  http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civil_war_series/index.htm

A Child's View of History

Fort Chadbourne had a number of children participating in the event.  They were a joy to watch as they enjoyed the event.

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Fort Chadbourne Days 2011

Fort Chadbourne was established October 28, 1852 by companies A and K of the Eighth United States Infantry. The fort was named for 2nd Lt. Theodore Lincoln Chadbourne who fought and was killed in the Mexican War in the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. Fort Chadbourne is one of the frontier forts established to protect the settlers moving west.

Fort Chadbourne Days was held on May 6 and 7, 2011.  1,100 children attended the school days.  Below are two movies of the event.  Enjoy!
Part 1 includes camp scenes and school day pictures.


Part 2 includes the Ladies Tea and reenactment of the surrender of the fort to the Confederates and the return to the Union.

Keeper of Confederate Memoirs to Be Honored in San Angelo

This year a special honor is planned for a Texas woman who secured the memoirs of Confederate soldiers for generations to come.  Mamie Ann Yeary published  Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861–1865 in 1912.  Mamie Yeary is buried in Fairmont Cemetary in San Angelo.  She will be honored with a marker and ceremony by the Tom Green SCV camp. 

 The Texas Handbook at http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fye05 has this article about her. 

YEARY, MAMIE ANN (1876–1922). Mamie Yeary, compiler of Confederate memoirs, was born on October 10, 1876, to James Knox Polk and Mary L. (Bickley) Yeary of Farmersville, Texas. She grew up in Farmersville in a family and region sympathetic to Confederate ideals long after the Civil War. Due to a long-term physical ailment, Mamie remained with her parents into adulthood, allowing her mother to care for her. The family eventually moved from Collin County to McGregor. In 1912 Yeary published Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861–1865. This 904-page book comprised memoirs submitted to her by Confederate Army veterans living in Texas at the time of writing. To these records she added the constitution of the Confederate States of America and a complete listing of Civil War engagements. Although the book received minimal attention in Yeary's lifetime, renewed interest in genealogy and Civil War history later in the century encouraged a reprinting. Morningside House, a Dayton, Ohio, publisher, reissued the book with an index in 1986. Mamie Yeary died on June 15, 1922, and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo.

The Terry Texas Rangers archive online highlights some of her soldier memoirs on their site.
http://www.terrystexasrangers.org/biographies/reminiscences_boys_gray/index.html

This blog has had several conversations on the importance of diaries and other primary source documents in making our presentations authentic.  Mamie secured these records so that upcoming generations could learn about the life and struggles of the most defining conflict in our country's history.  Hooray for this frontier woman!