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| SHS Collaborates! | ||
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SHS Collaborates! Audubon Sharon, Brownies, Sharon Center School all partner to further educational opportunities.
Recent collaborative efforts with Audubon Sharon, Sharon Brownie Girl Scout troop 186 and the eighth grade at Sharon Center School have enabled SHS to share what we've known forever-history is fun!
Sharon Center School's sixth grade class recently piloted a joint program held at the Audubon Center and taught by Audubon's Jeff Weiler and SHS's Ed Kirby. During the course of the all-day lesson, the students assemble a room-sized map of the Housatonic Valley watershed, complete with mountains, buildings and even wildlife! After a lunch break, students relate the geology of the land to its history by viewing historic photographs of Sharon, learning about Sharon's industries, and exploring the charcoal mounds on the Audubon property. The lesson combines civics, history, geology, archaeology, math, natural history, map skills and science using the format of a town meeting. Students and teachers were so enthused about the program that we plan to offer it to all schools in the Housatonic Valley watershed.
SHS was excited to team with Sharon's new first and second grade Brownie Girl Scout troop for a program called HerStory. HerStory teamed the twelve troop members with nine women who have lived much of their lives in Sharon. The girls were taught the relation of "oral" history to "written" history, as well as interview techniques. After the interviews were conducted, troop members wrote poems about the lives of the women interviewed. These poems, together with photographs and interview text were turned into a laminated book. Two copies of the book were printed, one for the troop, the other to become part of the SHS permanent collection. Troop leaders Andrea Tufts and Deena Sears led the girls with a remarkable combination of patience and gusto! The girls honored their women partners in a flag ceremony, followed by refreshments, held at the SHS on the afternoon of May 10th.
The morning of May 10th found SHS staff and volunteers in Sharon's Hillside Cemetery with the entire Sharon Center School eighth grade class exploring Sharon's part in the Civil War. After an in-class introduction to the subject presented to three eighth grade history classes by Janet Nickson the previous day, the students were ready to tour the cemetery, view artifacts from the period, and listen to some personal stories. Community members Bob Loucks, Leslie Gottlieb and Barbara Bartram did the honors at the three main stops on the cemetery tour. Many thanks to them for helping students to forge a personal connection between the town of Sharon in the 1860s and the town of Sharon today.
SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PLANS GIANT OUTDOOR HOME TRADE SHOW SPONSORED BY PRINDLE INSURANCE Unprecedented Historic Home Marketplace Features Vendors, Artisan Workshops, Historic House Tours, Family Activities and More
Grand Opening Party: Friday, July 1, 6 to 8 pm
Historic Home Marketplace: Saturday, July 2, 10 am to 4 pm
The Sharon Historical Society is planning a giant outdoor fair, Historic Home Marketplace, where area homeowners can gather valuable information and resources on a full range of home improvement products and services. Featuring exhibits by leading trades people, builders, artisans and designers in the Litchfield, Dutchess and Berkshire regions, Historic Home Marketplace is sponsored by the Prindle Insurance Company and will take place Saturday, July 2, from 10 am to 4 pm on the grounds of the Sharon Historical Society at 18 Main Street.
Historic Home Marketplace will showcase more than 30 exhibitors representing old world trades as well as newer technologies and applications in the home improvement industry. Specialties include interior design to lighting, roofing to flooring, painting to plaster and much more. In addition to gathering expert advice, homeowners can attend artisan demonstrations, participate in free family activities, and take self-guided tours through several historic homes near the Town Green.
Tickets to Marketplace are $20 per person including the House Tours. Exhibitor tent tickets, which include admission to the demonstration tent will be available for $10 per person. Children under 12 are free. All profits from Historic Home Marketplace will benefit the operating budget of the Sharon Historic Society.
This first-time, innovative event for the area will kick off on Friday, July 1, from 6 to 8 pm, with a Grand Opening Party. Open to the public, the fundraising event is a chance to preview the exhibit and meet the experts while enjoying cocktails and light fare. Tickets to the party, sponsored by Mr. And Mrs. Neil McCarthy, are $35 per person and may be reserved by calling the Sharon Historical Society at 860-364-5688.
"In the past, record crowds have been drawn to the Sharon Historical Society's Fourth of July holiday weekend events, and we anticipate an even greater interest in Marketplace, where homeowners can find a full range of experts to field all those perplexing home related questions - and the right person to solve their problems!," said Liz Shapiro, Executive Director, Sharon Historical Society. "Whether you're renovating or redecorating your historic home, or looking to remodel your contemporary home, please come to Historic Home Marketplace and bring the whole family!"
A highlight at the Historic Home Marketplace will be a series of workshops in the Northwest Lumber Marketplace Demo Tent, where artisans will demonstrate techniques such as iron forging, timber framing, decorative painting, decorative plastering, and masonry, among other trades. Technique demonstrations will run every half hour throughout the day.
Over the course of the day, Marketplace will offer free family activities including workshops in assembling and painting Bird Houses, and a Tom Sawyer Fence Painting project. For these activities, local building and painting companies have donated their time and materials and will offer instructional guidance. Children of all ages are welcome to participate with parental supervision.
Also on Saturday, July 2, the Sharon Historical Society will offer self-guided tours through several of Sharon's stately historic homes near the Town Green. Homes selected for the House Tours will offer a glimpse into a recently renovated or reconstructed period house.
Dig into the Past at SHS
On September 9, 1840, Ann Eliza Millard aged ten years old completed work on a needlework sampler. On June 12, 2002, the Sharon Historical Society purchased this sampler for our museum collection. At the time of acquisition, museum staff did some basic research on Ann Eliza. We suspect she was born between 1826 and 1830 in Sharon, she may have married Cornelius Skiff (doesn't that sound mysterious?), but it isn't clear in the historical records. Miss Millard is one of the many Sharon women who have been buried in the mists of Sharon's past. We would love to find out more about the ten-year old Ann Eliza. If you are interested in helping us out, give us a call (364-5688) or send an e-mail (director@sharonhist.org). We will be happy to publish the results of any research...this would make a great thesis for those students out there!
Tea Set Wanted
The Sharon Historical Society would like to acquire one or two china tea sets for use in programs such as the SHS Valentine's Day Tea. While we would love to have a set that includes teapot, sugar, creamer, small plates and cups and saucers, it's not necessary to have all pieces. We would like to be able to set the table for 25 and will definitely consider mixing and matching sets. If you think you might have an appropriate service to donate, call Liz or Janet at (860) 364-5688 or e-mail to: director@sharonhist.org.
Sharon, CT and Amenia, NY in the Civil War...A Compilation
The American Civil War, or the "War Between the States" remains one of the most provocative events in American history. As students, we learn about the economic conflict between the North and the South. We learn about the horrors of slavery and the triangle trade, about Lincoln, the abolitionists and the Emancipation Proclamation. If we're lucky, we learn about the antecedents of the anti-slavery movement, the individual battles, the scourge of yellow journalism and the names of the many high ranking officials on both sides of the conflict.
The Civil War, is, however, a personal war. It is difficult to imagine a town on the US map in 1860 that did not send soldiers or funds, publish a newspaper with pointed opinions, or suffer a casualty. The town of Sharon is no exception, its Civil War story closely linked to that of Amenia, New York. Throughout the years, with the help of interested volunteers and such fascinating books as Diary of an Enlisted Man, by Laurence Van Alstyne, (a book that chronicles Van Alstyne's own Civil War journey), the Historical Society has been accumulating information. This information is used regularly by teachers at the Sharon Center School to provide a local link, and through it, a sense of connection to the past for Sharon's young people.
There is a need for more. The town of Amenia has recently accomplished some stellar research into its role in the Civil War, in preparation for its Civil War encampment on September 18th at the restored schoolhouse in Amenia. We would like to pursue a similar project. Have you been fascinated by the Civil War since you were a kid? Do you like to work independently and on your own schedule? SHS is looking for one or two people who would like to put together a comprehensive picture of Sharon's role in the war. Some of the work could be started in the SHS archives. Some might be done in the Town Hall. Much of it could probably be done via the Internet and by making connections with the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut Historical Society. This research will provide the basis of new curriculum units for Sharon students. Help us make history relevant, contact Liz Shapiro at (860) 364-5688 or via e-mail at director@sharonhist.org.
Amenia's Civil War History
[Reprinted with permission. Amenia Historical Society. By John Quinn.]
When southern guns fired on Fort Sumter in the spring of 1861, opening the war between the states, Union forces numbered some 180,000. By the time the war was over some four years later, more than two-and-a half million men were enlisted in the ranks of the Northern cause.
It was largely through state volunteers that the Union Army grew to this strength. The 150th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry was among the units formed in response to the July 2, 1862, proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, calling for military enlistments by means of quotas to be filled by each town.
While there were nearly 50 Amenia men who enlisted in the 150th Dutchess County Regiment in the summer of 1862, the Fountain Square Memorial includes the names of more than 100 Amenia Civil War veterans. In addition to the 150th volunteers, there were local enlisters in the 128th Regiment from Columbia County and other New York state units.
In answer to the president's call, New York Gov. Edwin D. Morgan appointed a General War Committee to marshal the men of Dutchess and Columbia counties. The endorsement of the Poughkeepsie Eagle reflected the local support of the idea of a local volunteer regiment. Within a matter of weeks, 10 companies were organized and John H. Ketcham of Dover Plains was commissioned colonel of the 150th New York Infantry.
Ketcham, a young, prosperous farmer, attended the Amenia Seminary after completing his early grades at the local Dover School. His leadership qualities led to his election to the County Board of Supervisors and then to the New York State Legislature-all by the age of 23.
The call to arms found ready ears among the young men of the area and enlistment centers were set up in the principal towns throughout Dutchess County.
All able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 45 were eligible to enlist after a thorough physical examination. Each recruit received a bounty of $50 upon being sworn in. Generally, those enrolling from the same town were assigned to the same company, like in the case of Amenia, Company A.
While most of the men signing up for three years or the duration of the war were around 20 years old, a few Amenia recruits were in their 40s, even as old as 46. A number of 15-year-old boys enrolled as musicians.
A private's pay was $13 a month with an allowance for uniforms and rations. Noncommissioned officers received a little more at pay call.
Commenting on the success of the enlistment drive, Capt. Henry Alger Gildersleeve, commander of one of the companies, wrote in the regimental history: "Not only was the spirit of patriotism fully awakened, but home pride became thoroughly aroused in the breasts of citizens of the county and martial enthusiasm reached its climax."
After recruitment and organization of the companies, the troops set up temporarily at Camp Dutchess in Poughkeepsie. In October, the regiment boarded the steamboat Oregon to sail down the Hudson for Jersey City, where they entrained for Baltimore. It was there the regiment was drilled in military matters and evolved into a fighting unit.
During the months of training at Camp Belger in Baltimore, successes of the Confederate forces threatened the nation's capital in Washington and the 150th got involved in several minor skirmishes. But it wasn't until late June 1863 that the regiment, some 600 strong, marched out of Baltimore, heading west to Pennsylvania for its initiation into battle as part of the Army of the Potomac at Gettyburg.
After Gettysburg, the regiment went South to Tennessee where it was detailed to guard railroads for the winter season, keeping the Union Army supply line open.
In the spring of 1864, members of the Army of the Cumberland (XX Corps), the 150th, became part of Sherman's campaign for Atlanta. They began their march April 26, 1864, and entered Atlanta September 2. After the fall of Atlanta, the unit went on the famous march to the sea and spent Christmas in Savannah, Ga. The regiment then was part of the Carolinas Campaign of 1865. Its last battle was at Averasboro, N.C., March 16, 1865. The regiment was also present at the Battle of Bentonville, March 20, 1865.
After the surrender of Joseph Johnston, the regiment marched back to Washington, D.C., where it was part of the Grand Review in May 1865. By then, the soldiers had marched from Tullahoma, Tenn., through Georgia, South and North Carolina and Virginia before returning to Washington, covering some 1,400 miles on foot. The original regiment was mustered out of service in June 1865.