Don't Be Divided - Go See the Civil War Exhibit at the Groton Public Library

The Groton Public Library is one of 50 institutions to be selected to receive an exhibit commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Civil War 150 will be on display from August 12 to September 2 and there is much fanfare for its opening.

Festivities begin at 7 p.m. when Jim Streeter, Groton Town Historian, will give a presentation on Robert Gray, a resident of the Town of Groton who was presented the Medal of Honor for his bravery as a soldier in the Union army. Michael Spellmon, of the Groton Public Library, also said Mayor Heather Bond Somers will cut the ribbon to officially open the exhibit and will read a proclamation commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

Plus, there will be cake and refreshments.

Spellmon said that the library will receive the travelling exhibit as part of a grant. It started travelling in March and has made about a dozen stops so far. It will make only one stop in Connecticut and that'll be at the Groton Public Library. Spellmon said 144 institutions applied for it and only 50 will receive the exhibit. There was also funding for complementary programming. 

The five panel exhibit will be unveiled on August 12 at 7 p.m. Spellmon said each of the panels depicts a different stage of the civil war. There will be lots of first person accounts and photos.

The exhibit travels from state to state and the grant money will be used to illuminate the exhibit and for programming that features the state's and Groton's role in the war and research from local historians.

August 13, 7 p.m. Rick Spencer will sing 10 songs from the "Freeman's Glee Book," which was "published in 1856 to promoted the Presidential aspirations of John C. Fremont, the first to receive the nomination from the young Republican Party."

August 14, 7 p.m. Historian Glenn S. Gordinier, of Stonington, will present "Connecticut, the Civil War and the Sea," which "examines how the shipyards, the shipping and the sailors of the Nutmeg State supported the cause on the maritime front lines."

August 21, 7 p.m. Carolyn Ivanoff presents "Myth, Maggots, Mini Balls, Gangrene and Glory: A Civil War Medical Program." The discussion will provide an overview of battlefield medicine, highlight practices that saved lives and dispel the myths that Civil War surgeons were butchers.

August 22, 7 p.m. David Naumec will present "Civil War Soldiers of Color from Southeastern New England. "Naumec will discuss how race and identity lines became increasingly blurred in teh 19th century and the issues that impacted Lincoln's decision to allow black soldiers to fight for the Union." 

August 28, 7 p.m.Civil War author Matthew Bartlett "will tell the stories of four women who were trailblazers in the field of espionage."

August 29, 7 p.m. Dr. Matthew Warshauer presents "Soldier's Heart": A Study of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the American Civil War. Dr. Warshauer has identified well over 100 soldiers who had what we now call PTSD and the discussion will examine what has been learned and how Warshauer went about getting access to CVH records.

The Groton Public Library is located at 52 Newtown Road. The exhibit is funded by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Library of America and National Endowment for the Humanities.