Insurer Travelers Cos., with major operations in Hartford, has given $50,000 to fund Connecticut’s 2011 commemoration of the 150-year anniversary of the first days of the Civil War.
The gift was made to Central Connecticut State University, a primary partner on the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Committee that plans a series of living history events to mark the conflict’s sesquicentennial.
The committee represents 50 state and local government agencies, museums, media, and historical and cultural groups.
CCSU history professor Matthew Warshauer is chair of the committee coordinating a variety of activities; many will be held April 15-17, 2011, the 150th anniversary of the war’s first days. Â
For the past two years, Warshauer worked with a team of CCSU students to research and write a new book, Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice & Survival, to be published in conjunction with the spring activities.
On Friday, April 15, 2011, history professionals and educators will be invited to a conference at CCSU featuring some of the latest work by Civil War historians, including the state’s arms industry, soldiers’ experiences, naval contributions and the politics surrounding the war. Â
During April 16 to 17, a soldier encampment and battle by reenactors will take place at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, in addition to exhibits by dozens of the state’s historical groups and museums.
Connecticut’s Civil War Commemoration plans are still in the planning stages and the website will be periodically updated with the latest information (www.ccsu.edu/civilwar).
