Battery Hooper Days 2015

The James A. Ramage Civil War Museum, at 1402 Highland Ave. Ft. Wright KY., celebrates its 10th anniversary with its annual Battery Hooper Civil War Days August 15-16, 2015, from 12-6 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.

Admission is free.

Free Parking  is available at Community of Faith Presbyterian Church next door, and the church will also have food and drinks available for purchase. Golf carts are available to shuttle guests from the parking lot to the displays.

Cannons fire at noon and closing each day and several times throughout  the day, approximately at the top of each hour. Your children can enjoy activities like Honey Hill Petting Zoo, face painting and our playground. 

Watch Theodore R. Davis (a.k.a. Jim Hoffman), Special Artist, Harper's Weekly newspaper draw and you can even take one of his paintings home. Enjoy the colors of a collection of Civil War era flags and learn each one's history. Listen while Civil War soldiers demonstration horse riding techniques and firing muskets. Witness their camp life.  Learn techniques for making women’s clothes during the mid 1800’s 

Thanks to our generous sponsor, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, you can walk through a complete Civil War field hospital. This includes surgery demonstrations, outdoor cooking, hospital laundry, 8 bed hospital ward and hospital steward (combines the functions of pharmacist, nursing, administration and assisting surgery).  Civil War reproduction uniforms, equipment, books and other objects can be purchased at our Civil War Sutler (merchant).

Located on the grounds of Battery Hooper Park, the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum will be open free to the public. Among the exhibits is a life mask of President Lincoln, made from a casting of his face during his Presidency.  New exhibits this year include art work by Gen. Lew Wallace from the Lincoln Assassination Trial and Andersonville Prison Trial, a Civil War train diorama by Lawrence Goodridge (Goodridge Design), artifacts from the Gen. Lew Wallace Study and Museum, art concerning Lee's surrender and more.  

While in the museum, stroll through the Fort Wright room to walk back in time to learn the history of the City of Fort Wright.  Fern Storer was the owner of the house and her kitchen has been left much as it was when she lived here experimenting with cooking while working as the food editor of the Cincinnati Post years ago. Other rooms exhibit such artifacts as Civil War muskets, swords, cannon balls, medical equipment, documents and special exhibits to quench your curiosity.

Wander down to the museum basement bookstore for used books of all interests including but not limited to children's, cooking, fiction, reference and hundreds of history and Civil War books (many from a recently acquired large private collection).  All purchases go toward supporting the Museum.  

The museum gift shop will be outdoors in the shelter house nearest the museum, while the other shelter house houses exhibits from preservation, genealogical and patriotic societies such as the Kenton County Historical Society and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War just to name a few.   

An archeological exhibit will be next to the remnants of the fortifications of Battery Hooper.

Organizations participating include the Mid States Living History Association, the Fifth Ohio Light 
Artillery, the 10th Kentucky Calvary, the 9th Kentucky infantry (CSA), the 6th Ohio Infantry (USA), 

Confederate Marines, the Ladies Living History Society, the Western Female Seminary and others.

THANK YOU to all of our sponsors and donors.  At the time of this writing these include:

• Michael Wilson bequest (book collection)
• St. Elizabeth Healthcare
• K&V Cultural Resources Management LLC 
• Courtyard by Marriott - Florence Ky. 
• John Johannamann
• Linda Hornsby
• Jeannine Kreinbrink
• Richard Foy 
• Anonymous donors  

Thanks to our generous sponsors, the Ramage Museum is offering these professional speakers free to the public. Cannon firing demonstrations will take place between presentations throughout the day

Speaker Schedule (times approximate)

Saturday, Aug. 15

12:00 PM   Opening remarks by Ramage Museum President Jeanine Kreinbrink 

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM Durbin Ward (Tom Kreidler)

1:00 PM -  1:30 PM Civil War Hospitals (Nancy Eckerman)

1:45 PM -  2:15 PM Gen. Grant (Barry Meadows)

2:30 PM  - 3:30 PM Lincoln Assassination and Andersonville Trials of Gen. Lew Wallace (Bernie O’Bryan)

3:45PM   - 5:00 PM  Presidential Debate Lincoln (Stanley A. Wernz) versus Confederate President Davis (David Walker) 

Sunday, Aug. 16

12:00 PM    Opening remarks by Ramage Museum President Jeannine Kreinbrink (who appears in the new film: "Lew Wallace: Shiloh Scapegoat, Ben-Hur Bard" (2016)

12:15 PM -12:45 PM General Wright (Tom Kreidler, historian, museum volunteer and Vietnam veteran officer)

1:00 PM -  1:30 PM Civil War Hospitals (Nancy Eckerman)

1:45 PM -  2:15 PM Gen. Grant (Barry Meadows)

2:30 PM  - 3:30 PM Lincoln Assassination and Andersonville Trials of Gen. Lew Wallace (Bernie O’Bryan)

3:45PM   - 5:00 PM  Presidential Debate Lincoln (Stanley A. Wernz) versus Confederate President Davis (David Walker) 

Biography of our speakers:

Jeannine Kreinbrink, President of the Ramage Museum board, archeologist, writer, speaker, college professor who appears in the new film: "Lew Wallace: Shiloh Scapegoat, Ben-Hur Bard" (2016) in a scene shot in the J. A. Ramage Museum.

Nancy P. Eckerman, author of many works including:   "Indiana in the Civil War: Doctors, Hospitals and Medical Care" and reviewer of the book: Chimborazo: The Confederacy's Largest Hospital" and the retired Librarian  for the Ruth Lilly  Medical Library)

Tom Kreidler (Ward and Wright), lecturer, historian, Veteran Officer in the Vietnam War and teacher and one of the most active J. A. Ramage museum volunteers and advocates.

Barry Meadows (General/President Grant)  he took up playing Grant on film and stage because he was told he resembled Grant so closely.

Stanley A. Wernz (USA President Lincoln) is the President of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, and a retired teacher.

David Walker (Confederate President Davis) is an historian and teacher.

Bernie O'Bryan, plays Gen. Wallace in the film "Lew Wallace: Shiloh Scapegoat, Ben-Hur Bard" (2016) and has appeared on stage and screen in many other roles as well as a board member of the Ramage Museum and writer.