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Butler County plans to commemorate Civil War

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer 11:02 PM Thursday, May 28, 2009

HAMILTON — One-hundred and fifty years ago, America was on the precipice of civil war.

Tensions over slavery and state’s rights would bubble over in 1861, leading to the bloodiest conflict in American history.

And Butler County played no small part.

Local historians are already planning a four-year series of events starting in 2011 to commemorate Butler County’s role in the conflict.

Commissioners Thursday, May 28, formed the Butler County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission to organize events to commemorate the war.

This will include a speaker series, events at local schools, tours of local sites and the display of artifacts from 1861-1865.

The commission will serve as an umbrella organization for all the local historical societies and other groups planning events during those four years.

“What we wanted to do was certainly recognize the significance of Butler County in the war,” said Craig Keller, a member of the newly appointed commission and department commander of the Ohio Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The Cosmopolitan and Gwyn and Campbell carbine rifles used by the Union, for example, were manufactured in Hamilton at a plant that’s location is a parking lot for Ohio Casualty.

And the Butler County Fairgrounds served shortly as a Union encampment during the war.

Not to mention the thousands of Butler County residents who fought in the war, including hundreds who enlisted in the 35th Ohio Volunteer Infantry under Gen. Ferdinand Van Derveer, a Middletown native who is buried in Hamilton.

Woodside Cemetery in Middletown is also the final resting place of many Civil War veterans, including the last surviving local veteran, who died in 1943.

“We’ve got many, many Civil War veterans that are buried within Butler County,” Keller said. “We’ll have ceremonies, and we’ll bring it into the schools ... and who knows? We’ll see where it goes.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.

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