A number of organizations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland have organized events for the sesquicentennial anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. These include the Virginia Historical Society’s exhibit “The Portent: John Brown’s Raid in American Memory,” a reenactment of the march from the Kennedy Farm in Maryland to Harpers Ferry, and an academic symposium. The full list of events schedule for Oct – Dec 2009 is available here. (Registration is required for some of the events). In addition, the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park will commemorate Brown’s raid with a wide range of activities from Oct. 16-18. Check out the full schedule here. Teachers may want to check out this list of resources, which include links to lesson plans.

The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia, which remains closed as it plans for moving into a new building, has announced that items from their collection will be on display at several institutions in Pennsylvania. Tentative plans call for the museum to partner with the Gettysburg National Park Visitors Center, the National Constitution Center, and the African American Museum in Philadelphia. In addition, the museum will participate in an exhibit that will visit locations throughout the country as part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Hopefully the museum will be able to reopen before 2014, but in the meantime this plan seems like the best option. Check out their website for online exhibits and more information.

This year a freshman at Miami University in Ohio discovered a rare fingerprint from Abraham Lincoln just barely visible on one of his letters housed within the college’s archives.  Lydia Smith, now a psychology major, made the discovery in November 2008 while examining a letter that Lincoln wrote on October 5, 1863.   John Lupton, director of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project in Springfield, has verified the finding.  Though there is some debate over how many known Lincoln fingerprints exist (see this post from Sam Wheeler), Lupton claims this is actually the second one in the Miami University collection and one of several that probably exist –most because of smudge marks in nineteenth-century ink but some, such as this one, imprinted on the rag paper.  Read various news stories about this discovery or see a terrific YouTube video that details the whole episode.

The Nashville Business Journal informed readers yesterday morning of the newly set plan to re-inter an unknown Civil War soldier found at a construction site near Franklin, Tennessee.  Those who have studied the soldier are unclear about which side he fought for, because of an amalgamation of uniforms.  Though, it seems fairly clear that the soldier was probably killed at the Battle of Franklin, in late November of 1864.  Yet, nonetheless, they know that he needs a proper burial.  “We have to go through some legal procedures … before we can re-bury him,” explains the man in charge of the re-burial, Sam Grant.  Because of such obstacles, the soldier will not be able to reach his final resting place until October, at the Rest Haven Cemetery.  Such work by men like Sam Grant, continues the fight to preserve and honor our past.

This weekend, the 18th and 19th of July, the National Park Service will hold an artillery demonstration at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the Charleston Daily Mail informed readers this morning. The display is to show viewers how Stonewall Jackson’s men took the Union arsenal in the Battle of Harpers Ferry, in 1862. Also, there will be a demonstration concerning Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, informing the guests about the battle. These are just a few of these programs offered at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, a great place to visit.

Twitter is the latest craze on the internet and its reach already extends across countless aspects of society, from news reports to celebrity gossip. It is only natural that the 140-character phenomenon would extend into the historical realm with TwHistory.

TwHistory is using the Twitter niche to tell history’s stories in a new and interesting way. As a tool, the team behind TwHistory argues that Twitter can be used to tell individual stories in a day-by-day format. Their current project is the Battle of Gettysburg and individuals currently “tweeting” include Abraham Lincoln, George Meade, and Edward P. Alexander. TwHistory is still a work in progress and is always looking for more volunteers.

A free Twitter account is required to view TwHistory’s publications and while you are at it don’t forget to use the service to follow the House Divided project.

From late June to early July of 1864, a fierce battle raged between Johnston and Sherman’s armies.  This battle was fought around quiet Kennesaw Mountain. Last February, the National Park Service gained a key piece of land on which this battle was raged.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution informed readers that Sam Hensley recently sold 35 of his 70 acres to the Trust for Public Land.  In turn, the National Park Service gained this valuable land.  Hensley had moved onto the land in 1957 and quietly expanded his private property.  After the death of his wife in 2003, Hensley decided that he wanted to be sure that the land was preserved after his death.  Therefore, he sold his land for $3.5 million, nowhere near the estimated commercial value of the property.  Luckily, the National Park Service won in the endless battle to preserve our nation’s past.

USA Today reported yesterday that two new markers for the Civil War Trail were placed at Andrew Jackson’s homstead, The Hermitage, and a near by Confederate Soldier’s Home.  The Hermitage is linked to the Soldier’s Home because Jackson’s former homestead offered land for the use of the home, which operated until 1933.  These two markers are part of the larger Civil War Trail, which is dedicated to showing different state’s involvement and importance during the Civil War.  These markers are just two of dozens that are in the works for an extended Trail, which will cross not just Tennesse, but Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well.  This certainly is an exciting time for Civil War buffs who are looking forward to the sesquicentennial of the war.

On May 28, National Public Radio informed readers of a recent acquisition by the National Archives of a letter written by Lincoln to Secretary of Treasury, Salmon P. Chase.  The letter was donated by Lawrence Cutler, a private collector, who waited until Lincoln’s bicentennial.  Lincoln’s brief note, written just five days before his famous address at Gettysbug, in November of 1863, is Lincoln’s request for Chase to allow the former head of the U. S. Mint of Sacremento, Robert Stevens, access to evidence to why he was fired.  “Experts said Lincoln’s letter to Chase demonstrates the president’s fairness,” explains NPR reporter Deborah Tedford.  This letter adds one more piece of the puzzle in understanding Abraham Lincoln.

Susan Montoya Bryan of the Associated Press informed readers of the Dallas Morning News this morning about the opening of the Glorietta Battlefield Trail, which traces the Battlefield of Glorietta Pass, the “Gettysburg of the west.”  The battle occurred in late March of 1862 and resulting in stopping an attempt of Confederate troops to move West towards Santa Fe and California, and thus trying to extend the Confederacy.  Had the Confederates succeeded in this attempt, they would have changed the whole course of the war.

Finally, the National Park Service has made the battlefield available once again for safe public visitation, after years of acquiring the land needed to preserve the battlefield.  This is one of many fights that the National Park Service and many other organizations, such as the Civil War Preservation Trust, have fought to preserve the precious history of our nation.