Unforgettable Gettysburg - July 1, 2, 3

Gettysburg commemorates the battle, July 1-3, and include "real time" ranger-led programs following the progress of the battle in chronological order.

In addition to these programs, the park offers three-hour battle walks on the anniversary dates. All are free. For details visit www.nps.gov/gett.

It now costs more to visit the Cyclorama, museum and film at the year-old visitor center at the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Adult tickets are now $10.50 (formerly $7.50). Youth tickets now cost $6.50. Discounts are available for advance tickets sold through the Gettysburg Foundation site, www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

July Reenactments

July 3-5
Gettysburg (PA)

July 10-12
Battles at Wise (VA)

July 11-12
Rich Mountain (WV)

July 11-12
Gilmor's Raid (MD)

July 25-26
Civil War Days at the Grove (IL)

Connecticut residents can view artifacts relating to the state's contribution to the Civil War at the Museum of Connecticut History at The Connecticut State Library in Hartford. On display are uniforms and weapons; an original diary and other mementos preserved by Connecticut soldiers in the infamous Andersonville prison.

Top image, CivilWarTraveler.com

Rampant Colt Presides Over Connecticut History

The rampant colt that adorned the very top of the Colt armory dome now rears over the Samuel Colt collections at the Museum of Connecticut History in Hartford (part of the Connecticut State Library).

Inside are stories that are truly legendary. Story continues, here.

Walk Lincoln's Life, 2009 is Bicentennial

"Every effect must have its cause. The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future. All these are links in the endless chain stretching from the finite to the infinite."
- Abraham Lincoln

This year celebrates Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, a man well worth studying for many reasons, among them his integrity and leadership in time of crisis.

Lincoln Bicentennial year-long events, exhibits and activities include free admission Feb. 12 to the David Wills House, the place where Lincoln spent the night prior to delivering his Gettysburg Address.

"Exhibits and restored rooms highlight Lincoln's visit and the aftermath of the July 1863 battle that left the town dealing with wounded and dead soldiers outnumbering civilians 11 to one. The house is located at 8 Lincoln Square in downtown Gettysburg," according to the Civil War Traveler, a information-rich resource online.

The David Wills House is on the National Register of Historic Places, acquired by the National Park Service in 2004. Project partners are Gettysburg National Military Park, Main Street Gettysburg, and Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Overall cost, $6.6 million. Architects, GWWO of Baltimore; exhibit designers, Gallagher & Associates of Washington; and construction, McCoy Brothers, Carlisle, Penn.

To read about Lincoln's visits to Connecticut, see The Lincoln Institute site, which opens with this line "On September 11, 1848, Congressman Abraham Lincoln probably landed at Norwich, Connecticut, after taking a steam ship from New York City . . . "