LIVERMORE – Looking for a nice evening out, with a delicious heritage dinner and entertaining living history programming in a one-of-a kind setting? The Washburn-Norlands Living History Center in Livermore presents a special tribute honoring local Civil War veterans and highlights life on the home front from the perspective of local women. This special event takes place 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8. There is limited seating available. Tickets must be purchased in advance by Nov. 3.
A heritage dinner will be followed by readings and music of the Civil War in the Ladies’ Parlor of the 1867 Washburn Family Mansion. Enjoy a delicious dinner of stuffed roast pork wrapped in bacon, soup, roasted root vegetables, coleslaw, biscuits and dessert in the historic Farmer’s Cottage and then adjourn to the parlor for a rare opportunity to hear readings from Washburn and other family letters and songs of the era sung with piano accompaniment. Jerry Ellis will play the original Washburn piano.
Presented by Norlands’ interpretive staff in costume, the program is directed by Willi Irish, Norlands’ Director of Interpretation, who portrays “Clara Howard.” “Aunt Clara” will share reflections about her brother, Adney Boothby, who went off to fight in the War. Other appearances include Claire Tanner as “Mary Maud Webster Washburn,” wife of Maine’s Civil War Governor Israel Washburn; Jeannette McDonald as “Julia Coolidge,” wife Augustus Coolidge, who owned a general store in North Livermore; Robyn Hakala as “Caroline Washburn”, the Washburn’s youngest daughter and wife of Civil War Surgeon Freeland Holmes; and Anna Keller as “Olive Fuller,” a Livermore schoolteacher whose three neighbors, Albert Pray, Nathan Bartlett, and Leroy Stevens, served in the War.
Tizz E.H.Crowley, who serves on the Auburn City Council, makes a special appearance as “Elizabeth S. Kingman Horr” (1833-1920). Elizabeth Horr was the wife of Dr. Oren Alonzo Horr who was a pioneer in the use of antiseptic dressings. Working alongside her husband, she served as a nurse for wounded soldiers. After the War, they moved to Lewiston and opened a medical practice. She graduated from medical school in 1872.
The program features all of these historical characters conversing with each other, reading letters, and singing songs of the period and concludes with a roll call remembrance of Livermore Civil War soldiers. Tickets, $22 per person, must be purchased in advance by Nov. 3. To purchase tickets, call 897-4366 or email norlands@norlands.org. A vegetarian dinner option is available by request.
