A look into Sacramento during the Civil War will be revealed on Thursday, January 16, 2014 when the Center for Sacramento History, in association with the Sacramento History Foundation, will debut a photographic exhibition exploring how Sacramentans reacted and responded to the Civil War. The event, Devoted to the Union: Sacramento and the Civil War, will be held at the Center (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd, Sacramento) and commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and Sacramento’s role in the conflict. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.
“Sacramentans, during the time of the Civil War, played a part in one of the most significant event in our nation’s history,” said Marcia Eymann, City Historian with the Center for Sacramento History. “The city was host to many patriotic parades, salutes, and other symbolic gestures, and those stories and more will come to light at this must-see event.”
As part of the event, Historian Dr. Glenna Matthews will deliver a lecture, “The Civil War at 150: Remembering the Sacramento and California Stories,” and Elk Grove teacher Karen Richey will discuss her award-winning Civil War curriculum.
Sacramentans took active roles during the Civil War. Home guards were quickly organized, patriotic torchlight parades were held, and gun salutes announced Union victories. Sacramento’s Union League campaigned for loyalty oaths while vigilantly watching for secessionist agitation and rebel flag flying. Orator Thomas Starr King regularly lectured in the city, upholding the union cause and appealing for charitable donations to the soldier aid societies.
ADVANCE TICKET SALES ONLY with LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE! The event is open to the public; tickets are $15.00 per person and can be purchased at the Center’s website, www.centerforsacramentohistory.org. A donor package is also available for $100.00. Additionally, Dr. Matthews will sign copies of her book, The Golden State in the Civil War: Thomas Starr King, the Republican Party, and the Birth of Modern California, at the conclusion of her presentation; cost is $26.00.
Those purchasing the donor package are invited to attend the exhibit preview and author reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Guest lecturer Dr. Glenna Matthews and speaker Karen Richey will be available to answer questions. The package includes two tickets to the author reception and lecture, a signed copy of Dr. Matthew’s book, and light refreshments. A portion of the package is a tax deductible gift to the Sacramento History Foundation.