Memorial Day at the Boal Mansion

Monday, May 26, 2008 at the Boal Mansion Museum

Memorial Day Activities at the Boal Mansion Museum feature a Civil War battle, music from 10 am to 5 pm, awards ceremony at 1 PM and an all-day family picnic.

Click here for schedule of music

Click here for Memorial Day activities throughout the Boalsburg area

Photo above: Union soldiers route Confederate troops on the pond field

of the Boal Mansion Museum, next to the historic Columbus Chapel.

Two battles will take place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2008.

THE BOAL MANSION (open 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.) will feature a family picnic and music party all day under the ancient oak and maple trees on the lawn of the 1789 home of the pioneer David Boal and eight generations of his descendants.

Some of the best young musicians in town will play throughout the day and visitors are invited to bring a picnic and blanket and relax on the spacious lawn of the Boal Mansion. Scattered throughout the site will be food, music, crafts, a Revolutionary War surgeon and two Civil War encampments – Confederate artillery and Union infantry.

A special event in 2008 at the Boal Mansion Museum is an actual Civil War battle! A Confederate artillery troop will square off against a Union infantry company on the pond field of the Boal Mansion Museum, as Hampton’s Legion Artillery takes on Company C of the 148^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry at 10 am and 1:30 pm. The battles will be presided over by eighth generation Boal family member Christopher Lee. He is a direct descendant of Union Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee whose cousin was the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

At 1:15 p.m. on the porch of the Boal Mansion, there will be special music selections, and then three service awards will be given to community members deserving of recognition.

Knowledgeable guides will take visitors through the 219-year-old Boal Mansion with the original furnishings of nine generations of Boals and through the Columbus Chapel inherited and imported from Spain in 1909 containing Christopher Columbus’ Admiral’s Desk, fine European oil paintings and two pieces of the True Cross of Jesus.

The community is invited to come picnic all day, listen to the old/new/original music by young and old musicians from the ongoing Family Music Party, and to share in honoring the community volunteers at the awards ceremony at 1:15 PM.

Call for volunteers: Volunteer museum guides ages 14 to 84 are sought to bring history to life for children and visitors to the Boal Mansion. Guide orientation and free tour are offered. For information contact Chris Lee at 466-6210 or office@boalmuseum.com or see http://www.boalmuseum.com/docent.htm

Boal Mansion Museum schedule:

Schedule of Events-Monday, May 26, 2008

Boal Mansion

9:00 – 5:00

Historical re-enactments on site:
- Hampton’s Legion Artillery, Capt. Stephen Harter, CSAltart@csrlink.net
- 148th PA Volunteer Infantry, Co. C., Capt. David Felice, contact: pa148dave@juno.com, dfelice@centreregioncode.org
- Traditional acoustic folk music at the Civil War camps by Tussey Folk Jam, from 1 pm
Guided tours of the internationally-recognized Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum. Details: http://boalmuseum.com
Hand-made craft demonstrations and sales
Food, drink and dessert booths: Alan Packer’s Concessions, Brumbaugh’s Delites and more.

Special event! Civil War battle between Hampton’s Legion (South) and 148^th PA Volunteers (North). 10 AM and 1:30 PM on the pond field.

Music from 10 AM to 5 PM on the porch of the Boal Mansion

Monday, May 26, 2008 Boal Mansion Schedule:

9:00:       Cannonade by Hampton’s Legion Artillery

10:00:     Civil War battle between Hampton’s Legion Artillery (Confederate) and

Company C of the 148^th PA Volunteer Infantry (Union). On the pond field

10:30:     Christopher Kent, singer/songwriter/tall teller of tales. http://christopherkent.com/

11:15:  Gene "Swampman" Gipson, blues, gene@mysongstore.com

12 Noon:  Juniata, bluegrass and traditional, Ken Hartzler, 717-935-9956, hartzlerk@chilitech.com

1:15 PM: Boal Awards Ceremony, on the porch of the Boal Mansion:

1)      Ambassador Pierre Boal Award for Historic Preservation

2)      Colonel Theodore Davis Boal Award for Community Service

3)      Judge George Boal Award for Education

1:30:       Civil War battle between Hampton’s Legion Artillery (Confederate) and

Company C of the 148^th PA Volunteer Infantry (Union). On the pond field

2:00:       Punk Jazz with Greg Johnson, fatnysax@hotmail.com

3:00:       (Note corrected start time) Unusual Suspects, bluegrass, RB Powell: rbpowell@lcworkshop.com

4:00:       Holy Smoke, blues and rock, Anthony Stauffer, 814-235-5372,

info@holysmokeblues.com,  www.holysmokeblues.com

5:00 PM: Final Cannonade by Hampton’s Legion Artillery

Also, from 1 PM, at the Civil War encampments, traditional acoustic American music by

the Tussey Folk Jam, Catherine Grigor, cqg3@psu.edu  814-880-6251, sponsored by Tussey Mountain Lodge

(further details at http://boalmuseum.com)

Photo (above): Jazz virtuoso Greg Johnson (above) will perform on Memorial Day at the Boal Mansion.

Click here for information on area-wide Memorial Day activities.

For more information, contact the Boal Mansion Museum at 814/466-6210, write PO Box 116, Boalsburg PA 16827 or email office@boalmuseum.com. The museum's web site address is http://boalmuseum.com.