COURTESY
GRAFTON, Vt. — Who were the people that shaped the character and attitudes of Grafton, Vermont during the Civil War? A one-time, historical and musical program on these participants in history will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug 2 at the Grafton Community Church at 55 Main St.
“Grafton and Its People in the Civil War” will be hosted by the Grafton Historical Society in co-sponsorship with the Vermont Humanities Council. The two groups are combining their efforts to give a sketch of the political and moral position Grafton society took at this time and of some of the individuals who volunteered for the war effort.
The program will include a perspective of Grafton from 1837 to 1864 gleaned from the facts, letters, photos and diaries housed in the Grafton Historical Society archives. It will highlight some of the personalities and families — some of whose descendants still reside in the town.
Integrated into this presentation will be the songs from that era, presented by singer and researcher Linda Radtke and pianist Arthur Zorn. Radtke, dressed in a costume of the period, and Zorn will share the songs popular in Vermont during the Civil War from the sheet music collection at the Vermont Historical Society.
They are likely the songs that Ellery Tenney, Grafton’s history teacher and popular tenor of the time, sang at the campfires for Vermont’s 16th regiment. This regiment, along with the 11th regiment, included many men from Grafton, Chester, and Townshend. Family surnames such as Spring, Daniels, Howe, Park, Tarbell, Sherwin, Robbins, and Rice are still part of the region’s population.
Find out more about who resides in the area’s six cemeteries and the commitments they made to the hold the Union together in this turbulent time in history.
The program is free an open to the public, and accessible to all. The GHS will hold its annual meeting, which is also open to the public, prior to the presentation at 5:30 p.m. in the Grafton Community Church.
For further information, contact the GHS at (802) 843-2584 or send an email to [email protected].
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.