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The Passing of a U.S. President at Wheatland |
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Lancaster, PA – On Saturday, June 12, President James Buchanan's Wheatland will be draped in black crepe, the clock stopped at 8:30 and the former U.S. President's casket set in the broad hall. Mourners from the past, including Mr. Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane Johnston and the Reverend John W. Nevin will be present to transport visitors back to June 1868 when family and friends mourned the passing of James Buchanan at his funeral.
How many mourned the passing of this vilified, elderly statesman in June 1868? Why was the clock stopped at 8:30? Why were the mirrors draped in crepe? These questions and the rituals of mourning will be explored and experienced first hand. The Passing of the President living history program will allow visitors to step back into the June afternoon of 1868 when visitors passed through the broad hallway to view the shrouded remains of former President James Buchanan before following the hearse to his final resting spot at Woodward Hill Cemetery. In addition to Buchanan's family and the Reverend Nevin, visitors will meet Dr. Henry Carpenter (Buchanan's physician,) Lancaster Mayor George Sanderson and family friends, Mrs. James J. Roosevelt, Laura Pleasonton and Clementina Pleasonton.
This Living History Re-enactment takes place on Saturday June 12, 2010 between 1 and 3 PM; tours will be offered every 30 minutes. Admission for the event is $8 per adult, $7 per senior (ages 65 and older), $6 per student (age 12 and older), $3 per child (ages 6-11) and children younger than 6 are free. Tickets can be purchased at the Wheatland Carriage House Visitors Center. For more information on the program, call 717-392-8721. |
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"Mojitos at the Mansion" It's Time for a Lawn Party at Wheatland |
Join the Fun of "Mojitos at the Mansion," a Wheatland Lawn Party With a Twist!
Every year when the warm spring breezes blow, former U.S. President James Buchanan thinks back to Cuba and regrets that he was never able to purchase it. To lift his spirits, he invites you to "Mojitos at the Mansion" on Friday, June 18, 5:30 to 8 p.m., brought to you by LancasterHistory.org and held on the lawn and grounds at Buchanan's beloved Wheatland home.
To cheer up First Lady Harriet Lane, his niece, he's even hired Sterling C. Sample of Island Music International to perform calypso, reggae and tropical favorites on live steel drum. And to cheer his friends, he's invited Jesus Castellano to demonstrate traditional Cuban cigar rolling. Purchase one if you're inclined; smoke one if you're bold. Then don your fedora, step up to the full Bacardi mojito bar and let famed Fig mixologist Chris Chamberlain tempt you with seven varieties of mojitos, muddled just the way you like them. If you are very brave, try a mojitini. Enjoy catered Caribbean cuisine and sip local brews from Lancaster Brewing Company, plus wines, sparkling sodas and other beverages – it's all included in the $40 per person price.
Linger on the lawn under the tent, and do step inside the mansion – back to the 1860s – to chat with special Quest for Freedom guests Lydia Hamilton Smith, housekeeper and business partner to Thaddeus Stevens, and William Goodridge, former Maryland slave turned York businessman active with the Underground Railroad. They're eager to share their stories and celebrate "Juneteenth weekend."
Come, enjoy Mojitos at the Mansion and don't leave this summer party early; you might just miss "Red Red Wine" and "The Girl from Ipanema" dancing across the lawn.
RSVP to Erin Taylor; or call 717-392-4633, ext. 114 by June 15th, or purchase your tickets in person at two locations: LancasterHistory.org, 230 N. President Ave. in Lancaster, or Fig Central, 5 W. King St., Downtown Lancaster. Reservations held upon receipt of payment. To learn more about this event and all that's happening at LancasterHistory.org, visit us online at www.LancasterHistory.org – a campus, a website, a world of history! |
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Why Lancaster & Lancastrians are The Way They Are |
Jack Brubaker "The Scribbler" to speak at LancasterHistory.org May 26
Don't miss Intelligencer Journal/New Era "Scribbler" columnist Jack Brubaker as he shares his views on "Why Lancaster & Lancastrians are The Way They Are" in the LancasterHistory.org "My America Lecture Series" Wednesday, May 26. Couple this with a book signing of his new publication "Remembering Lancaster County: Stories from Pennsylvania Dutch Country" and you're in for an interesting afternoon. Fiery patriots, resourceful inventors and brilliant artists have all hailed from Lancaster County. The lives and deeds of such famous and ordinary folk are chronicled in Brubaker's collection of fascinating vignettes drawn from his column "The Scribbler." From tales of President James Buchanan's youthful antics to the attempted delivery of the nation's first airmail by hot air balloon, from the original Brunswick Hotel's shoofly pie to the Horse Thief Association of Intercoursethe stories and the memories of Lancaster are captured. Why are Lancastrians the way they are? Join "The Scribbler" and get the answers at LancasterHistory.org, 230 N President Avenue on Wednesday, May 26. Social gathering, refreshments, and book signing: 4 pm Presentation: 4:30-5:30 pm The "My America Lecture Series" is free and open to the public. |
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WWII Encampment Invades Campus of LancasterHistory.org May 15 &16 |
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Tanks, Trucks, Tents, Soldiers & the Big Band Sound of the Moonlighters!
One weekend in May the grounds of Lancasterhistory.org Lancaster County's Historical Society and President James Buchanan's Wheatland are invaded by tanks, trucks, tents, and soldiers as WWII comes to life. The date: Saturday and Sunday, May 15 &16, 2010.
Surround yourself with more than 75 re-enactors paratroopers, infantrymen, the Army Air Corps, the Women's Air Corps (WACs), Navy Seabees, the Red Cross, the Germans and our workers on the home front. Talk to the soldiers, witness the weapons demonstrations, enjoy some refreshments, relive and remember the past.
The encampment runs Saturday May 16, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday May 17, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Special field demonstrations are planned for mid-afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
Saturday evening at 7pm it's time for the USO Big Band Dance & Dance-off . Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, I'll Never Smile Again, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, In the Mood.....enjoy dancing under the stars to the songs and sounds of the Moonlighters. Break out your dancing shoes, brush up on your jitterbug the Dance starts at 7pm. The Dance-off begins at 8pm and the prizes are good! Admission is just $5. BRING LAWN CHAIRS and settle in for an evening that's sure to bring back memories.
Lancasterhistory.org Lancaster County's Historical Society and President James Buchanan's Wheatland is located at 230 N. President Ave. in Lancaster.
The World War II Encampment is sponsored by J. Freeland Chryst & Dana Chryst and the Fulton Family Foundation. |
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The Historian 