 The free event runs from 6 to 7:30 on Saturday evening. It is
sponsored by the Staab Funeral Home.Brian "Fox" Ellis, an
acclaimed author, storyteller and historian, will share Civil War
stories in Representative Hall, where Abraham Lincoln worked as a
legislator in 1840 and delivered his "House Divided" address in
1858. Join Ellis as he takes listeners back in time to the
battlefields and hospitals of America's Civil War. He will recite
poems by Walt Whitman and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, interspersing
his rich knowledge of the war with folk songs by Stephen Foster and
stories by Civil War soldier and reporter Ambrose Bierce.
Ellis has been a featured speaker at regional and international
conferences and is also the artistic director for Prairie Folklore
Theatre, a unique theater company that celebrates ecology and
history through original musical productions. He is the author of 15
books, including "Learning from the Land: Teaching Ecology Through
Stories and Activities" and the award-winning children's picture
book "The Web at Dragonfly Pond." Many of his stories are also
available on CD.
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During the 1840s and 1850s, the Old State Capitol was the scene
of debate over issues that led the nation to war in 1861. During the
Civil War, as the seat of government, the Statehouse was the center
of the state's efforts at wartime mobilization. The building also
provided space for local events aiding the needs of local residents
as well as soldier relief efforts.
The
Old State Capitol State Historic Site,
administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is open
daily through Labor Day weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site will
be open until 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 for this special program.
[Text from file received from the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency] |
