Heroes & The Historical Society June 19

Dione Longley and Buck Zaidel will give an illustrated lecture at a reception being held Friday June 19 at 7 p.m. in The Inn at Middletown, 70 Main Street.  The purpose of the event is both educational and practical as the admission will go to to raise funds for the maintenance of the Middlesex County Historical Society’s headquarters, the General Joseph Mansfield House. As for the educational component, Longley and Zaidel are the co-authors of "Heroes for All Time: Connecticut Civil War Soldiers Tell Their Stories", recently published by Wesleyan University Press. The book presents the war straight from the minds and pens of its participants: rich passages from soldiers’ letters and diaries complement hundreds of outstanding period photographs, some from the Historical Society’s collection. Rare war artifacts pictured make a connection to the men and boys who once owned them. While so many books written about the Civil War feature the activities of generals and politicians, Heroes for All Time tells the stories of the men in the trenches and the families waiting at home for news of their loved ones.

Dione Longley is an independent historian and writer. For two decades, she served as the director of the Historical Society and curated a number of exhibits chronicling the history of Middletown, including the award winning Civil War exhibit, "Hard-tack, Salt Pork, and Faith." Buck Zaidel, a dentist and longtime Civil War enthusiast, collects objects and images related to Union soldiers’ daily lives. He has exhibited at Civil War and antique arms shows across the country and contributed items to museum exhibitions, including "Photography and the American Civil War" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The price for the event, including a dessert reception following the talk, is $35.00 per person. The book will be available for purchase and inscription. Those wishing to purchase the book in advance and having it inscribed prior to the event for pick-up at the event may do so by purchasing a ticket for $80.00. To purchase tickets, call the Historical Society at 860-346-0746. Join us as we commemorate the end of the bloody conflict that took roughly 6000 Connecticut lives in the struggle to save the union and abolish slavery.