No, I didn't go back in time to take this picture! It is a reenactments of President Lincoln lying in state in the rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. There is a scene in Yankee Heart where Daniel and Katherine go to the statehouse to pay their respects to our country's fallen leader and this is very nearly what they would have seen as they walked past. The statehouse hosts this event every year on or around April 29th, the anniversary of the funeral processions stop in Columbus. During my visit, a separate event was being held at the statehouse and I also got a picture of one of Ohio's favorite sons, former Senator John Glenn!
Learning about the history of my home state was very rewarding and I particularly enjoyed learning about our role in the Civil War. Did you know the federal government called for a certain amount of men from each Northern state based on its population and Ohio exceeded that number by over 15,000 men? Ohio was also home to many of the conflict's prominent generals: Ulysses S. Grant, William "Tecumseh" Sherman, James A. Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, and William McKinley. Four of those men became U.S. presidents with two of them also serving as an Ohio governor. Which ones? Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley were Ohio governors and presidents while Ulysses S. Grant and James A. Garfield were U.S. presidents.
For more information about Ohio and the Civil War visit http://www.ohiocivilwar150.org/ and don't forget to check out http://www.discoverohio.com/ if you ever want to come for a visit. We have lots to see and do!
Question of the Day
What are some fun and interesting historical facts about your home state?
We've just celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War in Minnesota with a re-enactment and encampment near Wasioja, MN. There are so many interesting facts from MN re the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteMN was the first state to respond to Lincoln's call for volunteers, and the 1st Minnesota saved the Union bacon at Gettysburg.
MN is also in possession of a captured Confederate flag from Virginia. Ownership of the flag is still in dispute, as VA would like to have it returned, but MN is maintaining "Finders-keepers."
Not too many battles fought in Texas although Texas boasts one of the largest reenactments in Jefferson every year. I love going to see the dogtents and everyone dressed up. The battles are always spectacular! Much better than the real thing since no one gets hurt.
ReplyDeleteI am a homeschooling grandmother, and my grandson and I found out during a Museum Day visit that Florida was part of the Confederacy during the Civil War. We recently went to our state's battle re-enactment at Olustee, and I agree with Salena about how spectacular it was. We have done several unit studies on different aspects of Florida's involvement in the Civil War, and I have been fascinated. We have a park near our neighborhood that has a Civil War armament road that was unburied about six years ago. We marched down that road on one of our field trips, and pretended that we were soldiers. We also visited several Civil War forts in the area. All extremely interesting things!
ReplyDeleteSusan Manchester
Jacksonville, FL