The Lincoln Depot in Peekskill, N.Y. will commemorate the 200th Birthday of Ulysses S. Grant the first weekend in May at its historic train depot museum. Here is the announcement from The Patch:
Gen. Grant Will Be On Site Friday and Saturday May 6-7, 2022
Ulysses S. Grant’s 200th Birthday Party on Friday Evening, May 6
Those in attendance will help present Gen. Grant with a Birthday Cake
New Artifacts and Interactive exhibit for 2022
The Lincoln Depot Museum is excited to announce the start of the 2022 season with a Special Opening Weekend event on May 6, 7 and 8, 2022.
Ken Serfass, professional living history impressionist, will be on site Friday evening and all day Saturday. On Friday evening, Gen. Grant will make a presentation to the public with the evening culminating with the members of the Lincoln Depot Museum acknowledging Ulysses S. Grant’s 200th Birthday with a special cake and celebration. Members of the public in attendance presentation will be encouraged to participate.
Weekend Admission:
A one-time weekend admission fee will be $10.00 per person, free to children 12 and under as well as members of the museum. Admission includes access to all three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) on site and entry to the museum.
Tickets are obtained at the Lincoln Depot Museum Visitor’s Center before entering the site. Doors open 7 PM Friday and 11 AM Saturday. Normal operating hours of 1-4 PM will be in effect on Sunday.
Friday, May 6th Program (7 PM)
In early April of 1865 Confederate General Robert E. Lee agreed to meet with Grant in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia in the home of Wilmer McClean. Here, the two leading generals would discuss terms of surrender of that portion of the Confederate States Army, known as The Army Of Northern Virginia. An exchange of letters led to a face-to-face meeting between General Lee and General Grant, which influenced further surrenders and the outbreak of peace by the end of May that year.
Ken Serfass, as General Grant, will discuss some of the finer details of the meeting which led Robert E. Lee to surrender his army, ending the fighting in Virginia during the civil war. US Grant will be sharing some of the inner workings that lead to this momentous day, along with notable anecdotes from the meeting and aftermath.
Saturday Program with Gen. Grant and Civil War era Military Reenactors (11 AM)
General Ulysses S. Grant will not be the only weekend feature. Also part of the ‘living history weekend’ will be military reenactors of various local civil war units. A Civil War era military encampment will be constructed, and General Grant will be available to answer questions from the public and will close the day with a formal review of the troops. All living history activity will be held outdoors on the museum grounds.
The outdoor living history activity will begin at 11 AM on Saturday with the doors of the museum opening at 1 PM. Entry to the site is through the Lincoln Depot Museum Visitor’s Center.
Continuing for 2022:
A new exhibit entitled “Women and Children of the Civil War, from Patriotism to Combat” will be unveiled that contains numerous artifacts showing the life and influence of women and children during the American Civil War era. Artifacts will include vintage photos and games of the period.
The Lincoln Depot Museum is also looking forward to introducing its new Children’s Interactive Zone (“the Zone”). This was made possible by a generous donation from The Rotary Club of Peekskill. The Zone will be a place to engage and entertain our child guests. In the Zone, children will be able to play Civil War era games like dominos, try on period costumes such as a Union Officer’s uniform, and read books about President Lincoln, the Civil War and trains. Children will also be able to entertain themselves by playing with our beautiful train table and toy trains, all while staying in the waiting room of a historic train depot!
