COMMUNITY DAY—Sunday, 10/2, 10am-3pm
At Tufts' annual Community Day, Tisch Library kicks off the Forever Free lineup with a preview of coming attractions. These events take place on the Tufts Quad, Upper Medford Campus. Living history performances throughout the day will afford Tufts Community the opportunity to travel back in time to meet such 1800's celebrities as:
Louisa May Alcott, one of America's most prolific writers, born to an unconventional New England family active in the abolition and women's suffrage movements;
Frederick Douglass, the relentless anti-slavery orator who was born into slavery and escaped to become one of America's foremost black abolitionists;
and Abe Lincoln himself who, from the beginning of the Civil War until his assassination, evolved from a cautious moderate willing to see slavery continue to the “Great Emancipator” who ended slavery in the United States.
Civil War Camp Life
Lt. Colonel Paul Kenworthy and Private Patri Pugliese of the Union Army provide a glimpse of camp life during the American Civil War. A typical officers wall tent and enlisted man's "dog tent" will be displayed with typical furnishings and objects that one would have expected to see in a military camp.
Children's Games of the Civil War Period
Barbara Pugliese will teach a variety of running ("Fox and Geese", Dio Lewis' "Pin Running"), tossing ("Graces"), standing ("Copenhagen", "Hunt the Ring") and other games of the mid-nineteenth century to children and to the young at heart.
Manual of Arms & Bayonet Drill
Paul Kenworthy and Patri Pugliese will demonstrate Elmer Ellsworth's manual of arms for the rifled musket and George B. McClellan's bayonet drill. Volunteers will be recruited from the audience to learn some of the bayonet drill.
Dancing at the Time of the Civil War
Waltz, Polka and other popular ballroom dances of the Civil War era will be demonstrated and volunteers will be taught the nineteenth century version of the popular "Virginia Reel".
Friday, 10/7, 3:00pm
Young
Mr. Lincoln: directed by John Ford; original screen play by
Lamar Trotti.
A fictionalized account of Abraham Lincoln's early years
as a lawyer in Springfield, IL, starring Henry Fonda.
1 hour, 40 minutes; Not Rated
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Friday, 10/14, 3:00pm
Glory: produced by Fredie Fields ; directed by Edward Zwick.
"A true story based on the letters of Robert Gould Shaw" Two idealistic young Bostonians lead the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, America's first Black regiment in the Civil War. Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman.
2 hours, 2 minutes; Rated R
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Friends of Tufts' Libraries Authors Talk Series
Acclaimed author and noted historian, Catherine Clinton, discusses her bestselling book “Harriet Tubman: the Road to Freedom.” The most recent of her 21 books, Harriet Tubman was heralded as “the best non-fiction in2004” by the Chicago Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor. A question and answer session and book-signing will follow.
Tisch Library, Hirsh Reading Room, Main Floor
Friday, 10/14, 6:30–8:30pm
Forever Free Exhibit Grand Opening Reception
Come celebrate the arrival of Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation. Browse the exhibit while enjoying light refreshments and music of the period - and perhaps a conversation with Abe himself!
Famed historian David Herbert Donald will give introductory remarks.
Tisch Library, Forever Free Exhibit Area, Main Floor
Saturday, 10/15, 8:00pm
Forever Free Parents Weekend Concert: Music to Celebrate the Forever Free Exhibition at Tisch Library
This performance is presented in honor of the Tisch Library’s prestigious opening of the national traveling exhibition,
Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation. Features:
A Lincoln Portrait, by Aaron Copland. Performed by the Tufts Symphony Orchestra and narrated by President Lawrence S. Bacow.
Beat! Beat! Drums!
Reconciliation, performed by the Tufts Chorale & Chamber Singers, with David Patterson on guitar. Conducted by Andrew Clark.
Hymn to New England, by John Williams. Performed by the Tufts Wind Ensemble. John McCann, conductor.
Aidekman Arts Center, Cohen Auditorium
Sunday, 10/16, 10:00am
Civil War Monuments Tour and Memory at Tufts: Tisch Library's Time Travel
Enjoy a leisurely guided tour of unique Civil War markers on the Medford campus, highlighting Tufts University's prominent connection to this exciting period in America's history. Lead by Tufts Department of Anthropology lecturer, Cathy Stanton, the tour will end at the Forever Free Exhibit Area in Tisch Library.
Gather at the Foot of Memorial Steps, College Avenue (across from Anderson Hall)
Sunday, 10/16, 9:00am-4:00pm
Civil War Encampment/Re-enactment
View how soldiers lived during the Civil War and watch as they practice for battle! You'll be amazed by this historical re-enactment of an officer's and an enlisted man's camp site, complete with authentic furnishings. Drill demonstrations and presentations on camp life are scheduled throughout the day.
Tisch Library Lawn
Sunday, 10/16, 1:00–2:00pm
Are you Ready My Sister? - Underground Railway Theatre
This dramatic performance depicts the historical adventure of Underground Railroad conductor, Harriet Tubman, and the Quaker women who helped her bring 300 fugitives to freedom. This production by two actresses/puppeteers, features dramatic scenes and live music based on the spirituals of the slave-era, and is recommended for all ages.
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Frederick Douglass: Stories are Tellin' – Live Dramatic Performance
Set in 1859, this one-man play encompasses Douglass' life from his birth
into slavery, his relationships and experiences on the slave plantation, his
education, escape from slavery, and ascendancy as America's foremost
black abolitionist. The play is written, directed, and acted by Guy Peartree.
Tisch Library Patio (rain location – Tisch Lobby)
Tuesday, 10/18, 5:30pm
Landscapes of the Civil War
Do you know which famous abolitionist's home is still standing in Medford Square? It's only one of many locations throughout the city that reflects Medford's wealth of Civil War related history. Jay Griffin, President of the Medford Historical Society, presents a slideshow/lecture highlighting Medford's historical landscape.
Tisch Library, Electronic Resource Center, Main Floor
Race Relations and Presidential Leadership Panel Discussion
This panel examines a president's challenges posed by leading a country divided over issues of race, and uses Lincoln's term as the starting point. Moderated by Massachusetts Professor of the Year and Tufts Professor of History, Gerald Gill. Panelists include Donald Yacovone, senior associate editor at the Massachusetts Historical Society and editor of The Massachusetts Historical Review, and David Quigley, Professor of History from Boston College whose special interests lie in Nineteenth-century United States and Civil War and Reconstruction.
Pearson, Room 104
Friday, 10/21, 3:00pm
Ken Burns Series “The Civil War”
1864 – Episode 6: Valley of the Shadow of Death; Episode
7: Most Hallowed Ground
2 hours, 22 minutes
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Civil War Camp Life
Lt. Colonel Paul Kenworthy and Private Patri Pugliese of the Union Army provide a glimpse of camp life during the American Civil War. A typical officers wall tent and enlisted man's "dog tent" will be displayed with typical furnishings and objects that one would have expected to see in a military camp. This encampment will visit the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus several times, so keep checking our website for updates.
Rain location: Balch Arena Lobby, Aidekman Arts Center
Tuesday, 10/25, 9:00am-4:00pm
Civil War Encampment/Re-Enactment
This presentation by the 54th Massachusetts Glory Brigade is “…the most accurate portrayal possible of the most famous regiment of the Civil War”. The mini-encampment provides an inside look, and an opportunity to discuss, the life of a soldier from the Civil War's first all-black volunteer company.
Tisch Library Lawn
Military Re-Enactment & Memories of War Roundtable Discussion
The Greater Boston Anthropology Consortium sponsors this discussion that includes faculty members from Tufts and Brandeis Universities, 1st Sergeant Benny White of the 54th Massachusetts Glory Brigade, as well as local re-enactors David Naumec and Greg Hurley. Moderated by Tufts Lecturer of Anthropology Cathy Stanton, the discussion takes a general look at the whys and wherefores of reenactment, with a cross-cultural element. Reception to follow.
Lincoln-Filene Center, Rabb Room
Image: Greg Hurley
Wednesday, 10/26, 5:00pm
Finding Lincoln Wherever You Travel: Historiography and Local History Entwined
This presentation by librarian Marie Deuerlein includes slides of Lincoln memorabilia and artifacts from various locations, such as the Forbes House in Quincy, MA and the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Tisch Library, Electronic Resource Center, Main Floor
Thursday, 10/27, 5:30pm
Stock Companies and Spectacles: Theatre in the Age of Lincoln
In the typical way of American theater stars of the mid-19th century, Clara Morris learned her craft by rising through the ranks of a stock company. Tufts' Department of Drama & Dance Chair, Barbara Grossman, discusses the experience of Ms. Morris and others on stage during the Lincoln era.
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Friday, 10/28, 3:00pm
Ken Burns Series “The Civil War”
1865 – Episode 8: War is All Hell; Episode 9: The Better Angels of Our Nature
2 hours, 37 minutes
Tisch Library Media Center, Room 304
Letters and Diaries of Soldiers—or, What I Did on my Summer Vacation
Max Felker-Kantor, Tufts senior, and Bryna O'Sullivan, Tufts sophomore, will each discuss their summer work with Civil War documents. Max spent time in New York as a 2005 Gilder-Lehrman History Scholar, where he studied the correspondence of Laurens Wolcott, a soldier who fought for the duration of the Civil War. Bryna served an internship at the Middlesex County Historical Society in Middletown, Connecticut, where she cataloged the Society's military collection and created a multimedia presentation featuring both Union and Confederate letters, diaries and images .
Tisch Library, Electronic Resource Center, Main Floor
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