JCHC Fun Fact: Thanksgiving During the Civil War

Hello everybody.  Since this is probably going to be my last post until after the Thanksgiving holiday, I figured I would make it holiday related.  I did a little searching as to what Thanksgiving was like during the Civil War.  I came across a lot of great links and information, but there are a few things that were really neat that I would like to share.

First, I found a transcription of a proclamation by Abraham Lincoln dealing with his thoughts and feelings about the war and the USA in general around the time of the holiday.  Have a look...

Thanksgiving In The Civil War

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

        The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
        In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggressions, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
        Needful diversions of wealth and strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battle-field, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
        No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
        It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
        In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
        Done at the city of Washington this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD,
Secretary of State.

I found this document at this URL: www.civilwarhome.com/thanksgiving.htm

Second, I found a really neat picture of a Civil War camp during Thanksgiving...

We all can be thankful for the service of all the people involved in the Civil War.  Many of them risked everything to make a stand for what they believed was right.  Without them, our freedoms that we take for granted today would be non-existent.  Take a moment this holiday season to reflect on all the great men and women who made huge sacrifices to get us where we are today, not just during the Civil War, but during every day that our great country has been independent.

I hope everybody has an enjoyable Thanksgiving!

JCHC Updates: Video Narration

Grinding away at the narration for the 105th.  I have both 1861 and 1862 scripted and ready to record.  Only three more years to do...

-Nathan

JCHC Updates: Back To Work on the 105th

Hello everybody.  Today, I went back to work on the 105th video project after a small hiatus.  Basically, I paused the project so I could have a break from the monotony.  So, the 105th is back in my foreground right now, and video editing is consuming myself.  I'm looking to have all the timing done on the videos before next week so that I can start the narration process from home over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Hopefully by being at home, I'll have a quiet place to record the audio without the hustle and bustle of people in and out at the JCHC all day.  Stay tuned for more information and some previews in the near future.

-Nathan

JCHC First Look: New Brochures

Hello everybody!  Today, I have been working on finalizing my designs for new informational brochures for the JCHC.  Tonight is a board meeting, so I wanted to get a more solid example of a final product done for the board to see.  I have three different brochures to share as well as a revision of the "Personal Tour Guide" pamphlet.  Take a look at what I've created:

Information for Teachers

Information for Students

General Information

Personal Tour Guide

I'm pretty pleased at the way these turned out.  Let me know if you notice any mistakes or misspellings or have any suggestions for ways to improve upon the design.

-Nathan

JCHC Links: Fieldstone

Here at the JCHC, we sponsor a lot of local events.  These vary from special programs at the History Center, antique rifle and artifact shows, Victorian Christmas events, and much more.  Coming up next month, we are hosting a number of events for Victorian Christmas, but we do have a separate special event planned.  On Wednesday, December 22nd, the JCHC is sponsoring a musical concert featuring the locally-based folk band, Fieldstone.  Today, I thought I'd share with you the music of Fieldstone.  They are wonderful and talented musicians that should be heard by many.

Please check out their website to listen to some of their songs as well as learn a bit more about the band.
www.fieldstonemusic.com

For more information on the concert, please check out our Facebook Event Page.

-Nathan

JCHC First Look: New Museum Guide Pamphlets

Today I had the chance to finish up my work on the new and updated version of our museum informational "Self-Tour" pamphlet.  Take a look:

This pamphlet is a bifold, so imagine that the top picture is the outside, which would be folded right down the middle making the right-hand side the front cover.  The bottom picture would be what opens up on the inside, and the left-hand side of the top picture is the back cover.

I think this is an improvement on what we had.  I also designed it so I can go in and change the text descriptions whenever our exhibits change.  What do you think?

Feel free to leave questions or comments.

-Nathan

JCHC Updates: Informational Brochures

Hello everyone.  Our busiest time of the year when all the students come in for visits is finally over, so focus can now be spent on improving upon the organization.  For me, this means revamping the JCHC informational brochures and working on connecting with our members and patrons in different ways.

Most of you probably already know that the JCHC can be found on both Facebook and Twitter, both of which can be used to keep track of our news updates and event information very easily.  Check out the links below:

Those two social media links for the JCHC have been up and running for a little over a month now, and hopefully they continue to help us reach out to interested parties in a quick and accessible manner.

The informational brochures that I am working on were mostly my idea due to the fact that our previous ones are outdated and very low in supply.  So, rather than just copy the old one and make changes, I decided to start from scratch.  When planning out what information would be effective and appropriate, I determined that more than one brochure was needed to relay the desired information based on the audience.  So, I started designing a general information brochure, a brochure for teachers interested in the JCHC as an educational resource, and one for students (K-12) who might be working on a class project or assignment.  The work on these brochures is mostly done except for the proofreading, editing, and tweaking before I can declare them to be finished.  Stay tuned for digital copies of these brochures in the near future.

If anyone has questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me.

-Nathan

JCHC Fun Fact: Brookville's "Bird Man"

LEWIS EARLE SANDT (1888-1913)

A local to the Brookville area, Earle Sandt would become better known as Brookville's "Bird Man."  This wasn't because of an obsession with winged creatures.  Rather, Earle got his nickname from his love for flying and aviation.

At the age of 20, Earle first learned how to fly, and he would soon take the aviation world on by surprise; after purchasing his first airplane for about $4,000.00 Sandt accomplished aviation feats that no other had before.  Flying in his "pusher," a biplane where the pilot sat in the front of the plane while an engine and propellor mounted on the back provided the power to the vehicle, Earle would set two new records on February 20, 1912.  On this day, Earle became the first aviator to fly over Lake Erie as well as the first American pilot to ever land in a foreign country upon landing in Ontario, Canada on the other side of the lake.  Later that year, on June 15, Earle accomplished another first when he became the first pilot to fly over the city of Pittsburgh.  No other aviator had done any of these three things prior to Sandt.

Just as Earle Sandt was about to reach his prime as a pilot, his career would suddenly come crashing to a halt, literally.  On June 12, 1913, Earle was flying in an acrobatic air show in Grove City, PA.  During one of his stunts while flying low to the ground, something went wrong, and Sandt was forced to jump from his plane before it crashed into the ground below.  Since parachutes wouldn't become regularly used until about the time of WWI, sand hit the ground hard.  Luckily, he was flying low enough to only suffer a broken leg from the fall.  However, 10 days later, on June 22, Sandt would die due to an infection while in the hospital.

Earle Sandt was a pioneer in the aviation world.  He is honored for his feats and accomplishments in both the DuBois and Pittsburgh airports.  Next time you are at one of these places, try to find his plaque/picture hanging on the wall.

We also have a section of our main gallery devoted to sharing some of Earle Sandt's story with our guests.  These include newspaper clippings and photos, as well as a model of his biplane.  Be sure to come and check out the exhibit if you are interested.

I hope you all found this story of a local legend to be interesting.  Look for more updates in the days to come.  Right now, my focus is on designing us a few new brochures for the JCHC, a general one and one for students.  Feel free to leave any questions or comments.

-Nathan