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Public Programs

Second Friday Lecture Series

The Second Friday Lecture Series is a monthly Civil War lecture program organized by the Civil War Museum of Kenosha, Wisconsin. All programs are held for an in-person audience at the museum. The lectures are recorded and posted to the museum’s YouTube channel.

The Second Friday Lectures begin at 12:00pm and there is no cost to attend. The Civil War Museum graciously thanks the Milwaukee Civil War Round Table and Iron Brigade Association for sponsoring this series of lectures.


New Philadelphia, Illinois: Seven Ways to Freedom

Friday, May 9  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by Dr. Kate Williams-McWorter and Dr. Gerald McWorter

From a distance, New Philadelphia looked like a typical Illinois pioneer town of the mid-1800s. But New Philadelphia was not a typical pioneer town. As travelers got closer, they would find a small but bustling community where Black and White villagers lived and worked side by side. For formerly enslaved Free Frank McWorter, the town meant new beginnings and an opportunity to free family members enslaved in Kentucky. New Philadelphia, which he founded in 1836, is the first U.S. town platted and registered by an African American.

Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams-McWorter’s presentation will tell the story of this unique central Illinois town from its inception to its recognition at the United States’ 424th National Park in December 2022.

Gerald McWorter is professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a founder of the field of Black Studies. His great-great-grandfather Frank McWorter was the first African American to found a town in the U.S., New Philadelphia in 1837, and with his wife Lucy freed 16 family members from slavery and helped countless others.

Kate Williams-McWorter is associate professor emerita from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and co-authored the book New Philadelphia with her husband Gerald.


The Congdon Brothers and Significant Others: Their Civil War Times

Friday, June 13  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by Michael T. Sullivan

Eli, Hannibal, and Sylvester were brothers, farmers, soldiers, and friends from Palmyra, Wisconsin. They were respected for what they did and the American Civil War made them forever friends of the country.  While holding the military rank of private, the brothers honorably served in Wisconsin military units within the Union Army. They made it home, partially, but the home front presented its own family and personal struggles.  

Wisconsin Author Michael T. Sullivan’s presentation will introduce you to the Congdon Brothers and their extended families. Their acts rise from browned and fragile pages where they have respectfully remained silent for many years.


Spared and Shared: Saving History from the American Civil War

Friday, July 11  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by: William Griffing

When William Griffing (“Griff”) retired 15 years ago, he dedicated himself to the preservation of American history. He uncovered a substantial volume of historical content hidden within letters and diaries from the Civil War era, much of which remained unpublished and unknown to the public. Most of this material was held by descendants or collectors. Griff will elucidate how he accessed these invaluable sources and made transcriptions accessible to the public through his Spared & Shared websites. He will also discuss how the materials he unearthed culminated in a recently published book on Abraham Lincoln, featuring contemporaneous accounts of the 16th President that had never been published before. Copies of his book, A Great and Good Man; Rare, First-Hand Accounts & Observations of Abraham Lincoln will be available for purchase for those who are interested.


Combat in the American Civil War: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery

Friday, August 8  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by: Dr. Steve Fratt

Some have seen the Civil War as the first modern war due to the introduction of new technologies. They also mention that sadly, the casualties on the battlefield were caused by employing obsolete tactics against these new technologies. Our guest will explain how the American Civil War fits within the era of modern warfare and how the tactics used were appropriate for the last musket war of the nineteenth century. 

Dr. Steve Fratt is Professor of History – Emeritas who taught for 30 years at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. His perspective on the Civil War is uniquely informed by his study of the historical sources, his articles and publications, 25 years of experience in the field as a reenactor (including 7 years of commanding the Federal Army in Chicago), and his design of tabletop miniature games of “war college” quality.


The 6th Wisconsin and the Antietam Campaign

Friday, September 12  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by Dr. James Marten

Reimagining one of the oldest genres of Civil War history, Dr. Marten’s program will explore the Antietam Campaign through the lens of a single regiment, the Sixth Wisconsin. One of the core units of the famed Iron Brigade, the Sixth was organized in July 1861 and mustered out in the summer of 1865, playing major roles at Antietam as well as Second Manassas, Gettysburg, and the Overland campaign of 1864.

Dr. James Marten, Professor Emeritus of Marquette University, has written, edited, or co-edited over twenty books in two different fields: The Civil War era and the histories of children and youth. His books include The Children’s Civil War (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), a Choice “Outstanding Academic Title” and winner of the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Award, as well as more recent books on Civil War veterans, including Sing Not War: The Lives of Union and Confederate Veterans in Gilded Age America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2011), America’s Corporal: James Tanner in War and Peace, a short biography of the disabled Civil War veteran and activist James “Corporal” Tanner (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2014), and Buying and Selling Civil War Memory in Gilded Age America (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2021), co-edited with Caroline E. Janney. 

His latest book is The Sixth Wisconsin and the Long Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2025), explores the war-time experiences and the long-term effects of the Civil War on a regiment that fought in one of the most famous units in the Union army—the Iron Brigade.

Public Programs

Public programs are free to attend and pre-registration is not required unless otherwise noted.

Kenosha Pops

Kenosha Pops Season Opening Concert

Saturday, June 14  |  2pm – 3pm 

The Kenosha Pops kick off their summer concert season with their annual indoor option concert in the Civil War Museum’s Freedom Hall. The concert features some of America’s most recognizable patriotic songs and marches.  What a great way to celebrate the 250th Birthday of the United States Army!

Today’s Army Historians

Today’s Army Historians, the Utilization of Virtual Staff Rides in Leader Development, and the Battle of Wilson’s Creek

Saturday, June 28  |  1pm – 2pm  |  Presented by: Captain Florian L. Waitl, Command Historian, The Wisconsin National Guard

Captain Florian L. Waitl, Command Historian of the Wisconsin National Guard, will demonstrate how today’s military professionals conduct leader development using historical context from a battlefield of the past. CPT Waitl will showcase the digital rendering of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek as it existed in August of 1861. The historic battlefield will come to life, allowing the audience to study some of the timeless lessons that are as important to today’s military professionals as they were back in 1861. CPT Waitl will specifically focus on some of the insights of the 1st Iowa Infantry during the regiment’s baptism of fire.


The U.S. Navy and the American Civil War

Friday, July 18  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by: Aaron Rowland, Management and Program Analyst, Naval History and Heritage Command

The American Civil War was fought in thousands of places, including on the high seas, on the coasts, and in the harbors. The Anaconda Plan of 1861 set in motion events that allowed the Northern armies operating against the south to complete their stranglehold of the Confederacy. As a result, the American Civil War introduced several modern aspects of warfare including blockading of southern ports, economic impacts on foreign markets, introductions of ironclads and submarines, and riverine warfare creating a lasting legacy on military operations.

From Sheep to Shawl

From Sheep to Shawl: A Hands-on Look at Wool Processing

Sunday, July 27  |  1:00pm – 2:30pm  |  Instructor: Jennifer Young  |  Free, registration required  |  Register Here

Ever curious about how your favorite pair of wool socks, mittens, or sweater is made? How exactly does a spinning wheel work? What even is a skein? Join Old World Wisconsin’s Collections and Exhibits Coordinator, Jennifer Young, for an interactive experience and in-depth discussion about wool processing, covering topics like sheep shearing, washing, carding, spinning, and wool dyeing. How has technology changed the ways we interact with textiles, and what does this process look like today? This free program is open to families and adults alike with registration required. 

Jennifer Young is the Collections and Exhibits Coordinator at Old World Wisconsin. She is responsible for preserving, collecting, and sharing stories about historic objects in her work. She has worked in the museum field for 9 years and holds a BA in Public History from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. In her free time, Jennifer can be found exploring other museums, antiquing, listening to podcasts, and collecting Little Golden Books.

The First Michigan Engineers

The First Michigan Engineers

Saturday, September 27  |  10am – 4pm  

The 1st Michigan Engineers will show museum visitors the regiment’s role as combat engineers while displaying and explaining the many tools and equipment that was used in surveying and construction duties such as cheveaux de fris and transit/level. The living history group will also display items used by the engineers in combat roles.

The present-day 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Company E, has been in the Chicago area since 1987.  Over the years, the regiment has participated in combat and engineering roles at reenactments throughout the Midwest and national events at 1st Bull Run, Shiloh, Perryville (KY), and Bentonville (NC).  Some of the items constructed at events include hand drawn field maps, bridges, a 33-foot signal tower, and plank roads.

Special Exhibition Programs

Special Exhibition programs are free to attend and pre-registration is not required unless otherwise noted.

 


Beyond Board Games: Historic Military Gaming

Saturday, February 22  |  10am – 4pm 

Sunday, February 23  |  12pm – 4pm 

Historic Miniature Gaming and the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society are coming to The  Civil War Museum!

 On both Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, visit the museum and explore the fascinating hobby of building, painting and sculpting terrain for gaming with historic miniatures.

Anyone interested in getting an “A+” in history should get to know the hobby and the folks at the Historic Miniature Gaming Society! 

At this event, you’ll see Civil War miniature battle games that are both easy to learn and vastly rewarding. 

Take command and witness how this hobby of “chess on a grand scale”  uses strategy and tactics to challenge the imagination.

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