Angie McCullough George - Cuisine and Cooking Methods during the 1800s.
Angie George is a living historian and co-founder of North Coast Narrative, a living history group which travels around northern Ohio volunteering and presenting at various historical societies, museums, and libraries. She has her BA in History from Kent State University graduating in 2003. Her focus is in mid-19th Century domestic life, gaining hands-on skills as a 1st Person Interpreter during her 7 years with Hale Farm and Village. Today, this self-proclaimed food-history nerd will be talking on cuisine and cooking methods popular during the mid-1800s.
Bob Dispenza - Life of an Enlisted Man in the Union Navy
Louis Robert Bob Dispenza is the Park and Education Manager at Metea County Park, Fort Wayne, IN. He has worked at various National, State and local parks since 1978 in natural and cultural history interpretation.
Living history programs include Roosevelt ranch hand in North Dakota, early settler in Ohio and Indiana, canal boat captain, plume hunter in Florida, Civil War Navy officer and enlisted sailor, and Union soldier.
Other interests include cycling, woodworking, pocket watch collecting and repair, cross-country skiing, caving, camping, hiking, astronomy, music (trombone and autoharp), volleyball.
The entire family (wife and 4 children) participates in reenactments when possible.
Awards:
- National Association for Interpretation (NAI) National Master Front-Line Interpreter, 2007
- NAI Region 4 Distinguished Professional Interpreter, 2007
- NAI Region 4 Distinguished Service Award, 1997
- NAI Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Interpretive Trainer
- Third Place, NAI National Media Competition, Exhibit Guides, 1987
- NAI Region 4 Outstanding Interpretive Program Award, 1988
Education:
- B.S. Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 1981
- M. B. A., California State University, 2008
David Walker - Fantastic First Person - How to Portray an Historical Character David Walker - Fantastic First Person - How to Portray an Historical Character
This will be a class that will give you twenty-one pointers to start becoming a historical character. It takes more than dressing the part; it will take some time to get to know the person you are impersonating. Read, read, and read primary sources and show up at events ready to talk to an audience.
David Walker has been a reenactor and living historian for the better portion of his life and has been impersonating Jefferson Davis for 20 years. Prior to his portrayal of the controversial Confederate President, he spent many years in the ranks of the Union infantry. David presents Jefferson Davis from birth in Kentucky until his release from prison at Ft. Monroe, Virginia in 1867. David served in the Army National Guard for 7 years before becoming a teacher. He received his M.A. in history from Wright State University and spent thirty years as an elementary teacher, teaching mainly 5th grade. He has attended the Lincoln Forum for 26 years and Civil War Institute—both in Gettysburg– for 15 years. He is busier than ever in his retirement, appearing at Civil War reenactments, roundtables, balls, conferences, fashion shows, schools, and civic functions. Last year, David had the opportunity to work in film. David has performed in over ten states and last summer he had the honor of portraying Davis at a SC event.
Jackie Greer - Nursing Nuns in the American Civil War
At the beginning of the American Civil War there were 4 orders of Catholic Orders with a nursing vocation. By the end of the war every order in the United States provided nurses. Sometimes because the war came to their doorsteps, and sometimes responding to a request for nurses.
Before the war, not many of the populace had ever met a Catholic Nun. While not cloistered orders, most religious were not part of general communities. Many Catholic Nuns were immigrants. Anti-immigrant sentiment in the United State also separated the nuns form the general populace. The habit worn by the nuns also separated them from the populace.
While most religious nurses came from Catholic orders, there were a few nurses from other religious denominations.
We will explore the various orders that supplied nurses during the war. And how participation in the war affected the perception of religious orders after the war.
Biosketch: Jackie Greer, RN, BSN. Jackie usually introduces herself as a nurse in 3 centuries. Originally a diploma nurse graduated in 1985 from the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Johnstown Pa. Her love of the history of nursing can be traced to the hospitals’ connection to Clara Barton and the Great Johnstown Flood of 1898. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine currently employs her. Her reenacting career started in 1998 at the 135th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Gary Alexander - Vocal Anthology of Civil War Songs
Singing has been a big part of Gary’s life. He has sung in church, high school, college and community choirs and is currently involved in barbershop singing with the Country Gentlemen chorus in Lake Geneva, WI and sings bass with a barbershop quartet. Gary has been a church choir director, worship leader, soloist and gospel quartet singer. Gary and and his wife Karen sang with an ensemble for several years which presented programs of Early American gospel music.
Gary and Karen reside in Waterford, WI and have been Civil War reenactors for 17 years. They belong to a civilian reenacting group called Historical Timekeepers. Gary portrays a “singing master” which was a teacher of sight reading that usually used a method called “shaped note singing” which was very
popular, especially in church hymnals, in the 19th century. He has also reenacted with a Civil War artillery unit and an Iron Brigade infantry company.
Gary will be presenting an anthology of a few of the thousands of songs that were inspired by the Civil War and he will accompany himself on the guitar as he sings the songs. Most of the songs will probably be unfamiliar to
Skip Wilson - Religion During the Civil War
Rev. Dr.Thomas “Skip” Wilson
- Colonel/ CommandingOfficer 4th Battalion Provisional Army of the Confederate States
- 30 years as a reenactor
- Unofficial” Chaplain to the reenacting community
- Instructor and author of curriculum at Springs of Life Bible College
- Teacher at Wilderness Cries FB page Presentation-The State of the Christian Faith circa 1860
I was approached after a worship service at an event about presenting at the ORMB. The topic: The Christian faith around the time of “The War”. Since my preaching style is “old fashioned from The Bible”? I rarely had to concern myself with only a couple of things like 1) I need to use The King James Version and 2) refrain from modern terms. I/we don’t “play church” during the worship services I lead. So? Time to dig in. We will exam:
- What was going on?–the “climate” of Christianity circa 1860.
- Who were they?–Denominations/sects
- What were the common beliefs?–doctrine
- And even address the dilemma of both sides thought “God is on our side”.
Bring your questions.
Doug Hulett - Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth: Freemasonry During the American Civil War
A Civil War reenactor and living historian with over 25 years in the hobby. Doug enjoys leading history and haunted walking tours and giving presentations on topics such as grave robbing and body snatching at local libraries. Doug likes learning about Lake Erie maritime history having worked for the Maritime Museum of Sandusky. His topic “Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth: Freemasonry During the American Civil War” brings together his love for Civil War history and his 24 years as a Freemason.
Brian Shiflettt - Instrumental Parlor Music
Musical life in America changed radically throughout the 19th century. The industrial revolution, the rise of the middle class, and the easy production and dissemination of sheet music created new markets, and new music for public consumption. These developments brought music into our homes in the form of Parlor Music. Come and listen to learn more about these developments and what amateur (and professional) music making was like in the mid-19th century!
