 The event is designed for adults and families with children and is
free and open to the public.A large tent on the mansion grounds
will be the site for some of the weekend's main events. The Saturday
schedule will include "Meet and Greet the Generals," an opportunity
to meet some of the leading generals of the Civil War, including
Ulysses S. Grant, George A. Custer and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson,
among others. Max and Donna Daniels, as Abraham and Mary Lincoln,
will do several programs, including one for children: "Lincoln and
the Children." Pastor Jerry will present a military fashion show,
"Boxers or Briefs?"
The afternoon will feature a demonstration of parade drilling and
a re-enactment skirmish with canon fire before concluding with
carriage rides and a military ball led by the 33rd Illinois
Volunteer Regiment Band, Civil War dancers, and Mr. and Mrs.
Lincoln.
The mansion grounds will host additional events, such as the
re-enactment of a military encampment, a surgical unit,
old-fashioned photography, root beer making, and sutlers and vendors
offering Civil War era goods for sale. There will also be special
appearances by the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band and
President and Mrs. Lincoln. There will be a special display of Civil
War and other military weapons, Civil War era miniatures, and
vintage clothing. Period craft demonstrations and children's
activities will also take place. Picnic-style foods will be for
sale, and mansion tours will be available.
The weekend will conclude on Sunday with a church service at 10
a.m. under the tent. The service will be led by Pastor Jerry, with
the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band providing the music. The
generals and the surgical unit will also make presentations, and
there will be another re-enactment skirmish with cannon firing.
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For more information and a schedule of events, visit
http://daviddavismansion.org/.
Civil War Days is presented in conjunction with "Lincoln Fest," a
citywide celebration of Lincoln in Bloomington. Activities are also
scheduled at Franklin Park, the lawn of Ames Library, Illinois
Wesleyan University, the McLean County Museum of History and the
Bloomington Public Library. For information on other activities
related to Lincoln Fest, see the lineup on Facebook.com at
"Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington."
The
David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, at 1000 Monroe Drive in
Bloomington, is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency. The lavish Victorian mansion, completed in 1872, was built
for Judge David Davis and his wife, Sarah. The judge had been
appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by his grateful friend, Abraham
Lincoln. The mansion is open Wednesday through Sunday for free
public tours.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency]
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