Experience Civil War Days on May 25 & 26
Marion County Historical Village
On Saturday May 25 you are invited to the Marion County Historical Village to experience a Civil War day with the Army of the Southwest Iowa Reenactors.
Admission is free to the all day event which begins at 7:00 am with a pancake breakfast served by the Knoxville Lions Club. The Marion County Historical Society will serve ham sandwiches and cobbler for lunch.
Throughout the day there will be surprise battles and skirmishes between the Union and Confederate units which are encamped at the village. There will also be a group of period civilians and a fashion show. Carla Huebler will be playing the part of Dixie Gebhart, Knoxville”s designer of the Iowa flag.
Tony Pearson will be in the Museum to present a program on the Civil War Veterans of Marion County and the effects of the war on Central College. In this building there will also be several displays pertaining to the war. Throughout the buildings several individuals will demonsrate heritage crafts including rope making, rug braiding, hardanger, knitting and spinning. The event will close at 4:00 pm.
On Sunday May 26 please return for a 10:00 am church service at the Valley Chapel. A Rev. Olymphia Brown impersonator will conduct the service. Rev. Brown became the first U. S. fully ordained woman minister on June 25, 1863. Soon thereafter she became involved with the suffragist movement. For decades she worked for equal voting rights for women and was finally able to vote in 1920. She died six years later at the age of 91. Although she retained her maiden name, Olymphia was married to Henry Willis in 1873. The couple had two children both of whom became teachers. On Sunday expect to see a male protestor outside the church even though Rev. Brown was just as capable of leading a worship service as any male pastor of the Civil War era.
The historical village is located in the Marion County Park at 306 Willets Dr., Knoxville, IA. This special Civil War event is sponsored by the Marion County Historical Society and the Iowa State Savings Bank. For more information contact 641-628-4716 or 641-842-4895.
