On July 16th, a Civil War Living History event was held from 10 AM to 8 PM at Historic Prospect Place. This was a free, public event organized by the G.W. Adams Educational Center.
The estate, located at 12150 Main Street in Trinway, is a 9,500-square-foot mansion that sits in the center of a grassy field. The mansion was built in 1856 by abolitionist George Willison Adams (G.W. Adams) and was part of the Underground Railroad. Over 100 years later in 2003, G.W. Adams’ great-great-grandson, George J. Adams founded a non-profit called the G.W. Adams Educational Center Inc. dedicated to preserving and restoring the historic mansion.
This event was something the G.W. Adams Educational Center had always wanted to put together. When board members, Amy Green and Carrie Dean attended a reenactment event at Historic Zoar Village, they met the 41st Ohio Reenactment Infantry Regiment. After the board members attended the event, the reenactors visited Prospect Place and loved it. This inspired the board members to hold a Living History event on the grounds of Prospect Place. “This event is humble beginnings that will hopefully grow into greater opportunities down the road,” said Jeff Cole, Chairman and Executive director of the G.W Adams Educational Center.
During the event, about a dozen traditional white tents covered the grounds, recreating the camp of Company K, a company from the Ohio 41st Regiment. Set up next to the troops camp was a recreation of a refugee camp for people who had unfortunately lost their residencies in the Civil War. Scattered throughout the grounds were fun activities for guests to enjoy, including kid’s games of the period and a tour of the mansion. A flag raising was held at 10 A.M. followed by High Tea at 11 A.M.
The Civil War Living History event had a great turnout despite the intermittent rain. The historic event was enjoyed by people of all ages and was a great opportunity to teach younger audiences about the history of the Civil War. “We would like to continue doing this in support of our educational outreach,” said Cole.
If you would like to make a donation to the G.W. Adams Educational Center or learn more about Historic Prospect place, go to www.gwacenter.org.
