MILTON
Over the weekend, families had an opportunity to step back into prepandemic life in Milton—150 years before COVID-19, to be exact.
Back in full force, the city held its annual Civil War Living History Days on Saturday and Sunday. After being canceled in 2020 and held in a limited capacity last year, the event returned to normal operations and started the weekend by hosting more than 1,000 home-schooled students Friday.
The event drew people from places such as Brodhead and Rockford, Illinois, and as far away as Kenosha. According to Milton Historical Society Executive Director Keighton Klos, this year’s showing was the first time the group focused on getting home-schooled students to attend.
“I think giving home-schoolers the opportunity to come and have an event like this that’s for them is something that’s really unique and that we’re really proud to offer,” Klos said.
Held at North Goodrich Park in Milton, and in the Milton House across the street, actors and volunteers helped turn the facilities into a snapshot of what life was like for Union soldiers during the 1860s. Whether it was shooting off cannons, marching with rifles—or even just playing a pickup game of war-time baseball called rounders—visitors were immersed in activities from the era.
During a tour, guides led visitors through the Milton House and showed them rooms of what was once an inn run by pioneer Joseph Goodrich. In the basement of an adjoining cabin, Goodrich offered refuge for fugitive slaves. A tunnel ran from beneath the cabin to the basement of the inn, where Goodrich and his family provided food and shelter.
Lori Szecsy, who home-schools her children in Lake Mills, said the event was a great opportunity for students to get a hands-on educational experience that seemed to be missing over the last couple years.
“Instead of just coming to a regular museum, or reading a book, (they are) able to interact with the people and hear about it first person,” Szecsy said. “They’re going to remember it a lot more and learn more from it. “
William Wetzbarger, a reenactor playing a Civil War-era surgeon, said the value of learning history is not only critical to broadening knowledge of the past, but for also telling fact from fiction.
While explaining methods used for administering anesthesia for patients, he quickly shot down the Hollywood myth that soldiers would bite down on bullets to distract from the pain of surgery.
“People need to know more about their own history in our country,” Wetzbarger said.
Klos said everyone was excited to get back to a more normal reenactment after the pandemic halted many of their events. Between the 2020 cancellation and a slew of other cancellations for other events in 2021, this was the first complete experience since 2019.
“We’re one of the first ones (held) throughout the year, so they were definitely excited to get back into that hobby they haven’t been able to for the last couple years,” Klos said.
