Lincoln Weekend At The River Museum

Lincoln Casket Replica

The Wellsville Historical Society is ready to put on a humdinger for the last week-end of the Summer Open House touring at the River Museum.  Thanks to the generous help of the Martin-MacLean-Altmeyer (MMA) Funeral Home this last week-end in August is one you will not want to miss.  We’re calling it the Lincoln Week-end.  It’s a two day event scheduled for Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26.  The museum will be open from 1 to 4:30 PM each of these days.  This is the second year of the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War.  

105 OVI Re-enactors

On display In the Mary Clark Parlor will be an exact replica of the casket Abraham Lincoln is buried in.  It is one of only four in existence that the Batesville Casket Company loans out for special displays such as this.  The use of the casket display was made possible through the efforts of Matthew Watson, a MMA Funeral Counselor. 

Gary Kersey

Also through the efforts of Watson and the funeral home the re-enactment group called the 105 Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) Civil War group will set up camp on the lawn of the River Museum.  They will be setting up on Friday and will be available for reviewing beginning at 1 PM Saturday. They will dressed in authentic type Civil War, Union Army uniforms with their weapons and equipment. The 105 OVI was mustered into service in August 1862 at Camp Taylor near Cleveland.  They fought in Kentucky, Tennessee and with General Sherman going through Georgia. 

Members of the 105 OVI and the 66 OVI will provide an honor guard for the Lincoln casket the same as if old Abe himself was in there. The 66^th OVI re-enactors were here for a show a couple of years ago. 

At 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon Watson will have a program on Lincoln’s funeral, funeral practices at the time of Lincoln and a display of embalming equipment use during the Civil War years.  Watson has done extensive research to make this a most interesting and educational program. 

On Sunday at 2 PM nationally noted Lincoln scholar Gary Kersey will present a program about Lincoln’s Proclamation of Emancipation.  Kersey is a passionate Lincoln scholar and over the years has done exhaustive research of the 16^th President of the United States.  Kersey is a native of Port William, Ohio, and is active in the Civil War Institute of Gettysburg College. 

The programs and touring are open to the public and admission is by donation only.  The River Museum is located along the scenic Ohio River at 1003 Riverside Avenue in Wellsville just behind the Central United Methodist Church on Main St.  Limited parking is available at the museum with additional parking available just a few doors down, at 11^th & Riverside.  For more information call 330-532-1018 or 330-532-4692. 

Please join us and witness history relived at the Wellsville River Museum.  It’s the “hidden gem in the valley…

ole nib