The Oxford Historical Society
Observance of the 150th Anniversary
The Cessation of the Civil War
Program Summary Report:
There are three basic phases
for most projects: the conceptual phase, the planning phase, and the
implementation phase.
The conceptual stage for
this program started with a simple question asked of Louis Burr over a year and
a half ago. Would she consider using her
well known talents as an organist to play a selection of Civil War era songs and
ballads for a society program? With her
positive reply the concept stage of this program was initiated. There were three principle goals established
for the program. The first and primary goal was to celebrate and honor the one
hundred and six men from Oxford who donned the Union blue and served their
country during the Civil War. The second goal was the involvement of the Oxford
community within the program, and third was to provide an enjoyable learning
experience for the public.
Saturday, April 11, 2015,
was chosen as the date for the program because of two historical related
reasons. It was on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox, VA, that General Robert E. Lee
surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant thus beginning
the cessation of fighting between Union and Confederate forces. By April 11, 1865, the residents of Oxford
would have heard of this joyous news and most likely celebration and
thanksgivings were shouted throughout our rural community. April 11, 1865, was important for another
reason. It was on this date that President Lincoln gave his last public
speech. There are words within his speech
of that day that gave inspiration for our program. “We meet this evening, not in
sorrow, but in gladness of heart. The
evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrender of the principle
insurgent army, give hope of a righteous and speedy peace whose joyous expression
cannot be restrained. In the midst of this, however, He, from whom all
blessings flow, must not be forgotten. A
call for a national thanksgiving is being prepared, and will be duly
promulgated. Nor must those whose harder
part gives us the cause of rejoicing, be overlooked. Their honors must not be parceled out with
others. I myself was near the front, and
had the high pleasure of transmitting much of the good news to you; but no part
of the honor, for plan or execution, is mine.
To General Grant, his skilful officers, and brave men, all belongs.”
With a tentative date
selection made, the next objective was to establish a venue for the
program. The Oxford Congregational Church
was chosen because of its central location and its early historic relevance to
the Town of Oxford. With the
unpredictable New England weather in the month of April, an indoor event was
decided to be a wise decision for our program.
What could the society
conceive of for our program that would properly honor these one hundred and six
Oxford Civil War soldiers who gave so much?
There were a number of ideas that were considered but the most
appropriate and achievable of these were:
(1) A “Bell Ringing Memorial” where each soldier’s name
would be called out and a bell rung with a moment of silence following.
(2) Organize an ecumenical choir consisting of members of
various church choirs of Oxford to perform a medley of Civil War songs and
ballads.
(3) Obtain the services of Civil War re-enactors to give
the program a sense of historic accuracy.
The planning phase of any
program tends to be the most difficult and challenging. The first and most important challenge for
any non-profit organization, such as our historical society, is to determine
how to fund a project of this nature. It
was through the efforts of Dottie DeBisschop that the society obtained a grant
from the Connecticut Community Foundation which made the program possible.
The planning and execution
of the musical portion of the program was placed in the capable hands of Louise
Burr and Choir Director Martha Lubowiecki.
Much praise must be given to the choir members for their endurance over
many practice sessions during some inclement winter nights. The end result of these practice sessions
was the melding of these individuals into a fine musical organization.
The men and women of
American Legion Post 174 eagerly stepped forward to conduct the “Bell Ringing
Memorial”. As Commander of Post 174,
Henry Rotzal said, “Our members were honored to conduct this memorial for our
Civil War soldiers”. The bell used in
the memorial was obtained from the Quaker Farms Fire Dept through the efforts
of Ron Stebar and Fire Capt. Daniel Gramigna. Following the memorial ceremony, “Taps” was
played by Oxford High School student Christopher Wolf.
The newspaper and other promotional
responsibilities for the event were managed by Nancy Farnum. Nancy and Bob
Farnum also donated the flowers that decorated the main podium.
The decoration committee was
chaired by Marcia Wrogg and the decorative patriotic buntings were furnished by
Oxford Paint and Hardware.
In an effort to involve the
Oxford community in this program, the society authorized an essay contest for
the students of the Enrichment Class at Great Oak Middle School. The
topic of the essay was “Forgiveness – Reunification of our Nation”. The class teacher, Mrs. Susan Gibbons, and
Oxford Historical Society representative, Mrs. Marilyn Stebar, managed and
judged the contest. Miss Emma Lobraico
submitted the winning essay. This essay was
used by re-enactor Lewis Dube, who portrayed President Lincoln, for his main
program speech. It should be noted that Mr. Dube is considered one of the
premier Lincoln re-enactors in the state of Connecticut and his services are in
high demand. His outstanding portrayal
of Lincoln during our event was truly memorable and a testament to his
remarkable acting abilities.
Members of the 14th
Conn. Vol. Infantry, Company F and members of Sons of Union Veterans of the
Civil War Camp #22, dressed in their authentic Civil War uniforms, provided an
honor guard for “President Lincoln” during the program. Also attending in full
Civil War attire were Mr.& Mrs. Charles Cornut who portrayed Lt. Col. Philo
Buckingham and his wife Sallie Perkins Buckingham.
The first public display of the
Memorial Plaque dedicated to the Civil War soldiers from Oxford was displayed at
the program with thanks to the Oxford Board of Selectmen.
Parking and traffic control
were provided by the Oxford Fire Dept with thanks to Capt Blood.
Cathy Helm was responsible
for the photographic documentation of the program.
The program financial
affairs were handled by Cindy Joy
The formal program was
attended by approximately one hundred and thirty people and it lasted one
hour. The implementation phase of the
project went off remarkably well and can be attributed to the dedication of all
involved. Following the formal program,
refreshments were served in the church hall.
The refreshment committee was chaired by Jane Hulbert with cakes,
cookies and other light refreshments provided by society members and friends of
the society.
As Lewis Dube (aka) President
Lincoln said at the conclusion of the program – “The event was something that
both the historical society and the Town of Oxford could be justly proud of.”
Respectfully Submitted
John Konicki
Program Manager
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