Thing to do Friday evening, why not check out a civil war walking tour of Altoona Local? His story is partnering with Gerard Frederick to lead two walking tours by Lantern featuring Elton, his deep connection with the Civil War.
Here’s Frederick with a sample of what you’ll experience.
“A lot of people don’t realize how heavily Altoona played a role during the American Civil War years. Even in the 1860s, this was one of the largest railroading centers on the planet.
The horseshoe curve had been completed a number of years prior to the conflict, and not only does that bring a huge influx of troops and supplies, but you also have some really notable generals, politicians and warriors of that era.
And undoubtedly, the best known instance in that regard is the story of the Loyal War Governors Conference that took place in September 1862. The governors conference was at the time, a rather secretive political gathering of northern governors to pledge support to Abraham Lincoln during a dire moment of that war.
And ultimately, their resolution stated that they would raise an additional 100,000 troops to help suppress the rebellion. And also, it was one of the first pronouncements of political support in favor of Lincoln’s recently released Emancipation Proclamation, which sought to free the slaves of the South.
But you know, beyond the stories of presidents and politicians, there’s the story of everyday people such as railroad workers, escaped slaves, chaplains and young people whose lives were dramatically affected by the nation’s bloodiest conflict this town. It was not a battlefield per se, but it demonstrates the fact that the assembly line was just as important often as
the battle line. And throughout 1862 and 1863, there was a constant fear that the Confederates were going to come up into this area of Pennsylvania during one of their invasions and set fire to the city of Altoona. And it’s really important that we keep these stories alive.
We understand the struggles that our forebears went through and going on. Walking tours, much like this, is an ideal means of reflecting on the Civil War era, which for better and for worse still, has a lot of relevance in our modern society.”
The walking tour will stop at about six different sites, and we’re going to be guided by people in period appropriate clothing. People can go to local historia dot com for more details as well as to pre-purchase your tickets, which
is a requirement.
There are two tours one at 6:00 p.m., another at eight.
