History Happy Hour: Civil War and Reconstruction

While the experiences of famous men such as Joshua Chamberlain and Hannibal Hamlin are well-known to many, this talk explores the lesser-known stories of white and Black Mainers who influenced the Civil War and Reconstruction. Attendees will learn about Civil War nurses, self-liberating refugees from slavery, idealistic reformers, and an imperiled Reconstruction-era governor.

Ashley Towle teaches classes on the history of the United States, including the history of women, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the history of death and dying, and the history of sexuality, at the University of Southern Maine. She also serves as the director of Putting History to Work, the history internship program, and as director of the Women and Gender Studies Program. Professor Towle’s own scholarship focuses on the experience of African Americans in the South during the transition from slavery to freedom. She is the author of African Americans, Death, and the New Birth of Freedom: Dying Free during the Civil War and Reconstruction and co-editor of Grave History: Death, Race, and Gender in Southern Cemeteries. Her next book project examines the actions of formerly enslaved women in the post-Civil War South who sought economic support and legal recognition for the children they had with their enslavers while they had been enslaved. She holds a B.A. in History from Gettysburg College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

Tickets are $10 for PHC members and $15 for non-members, and include refreshments. To learn more about membership benefits including program discounts, visit this page.

You may also like the following events from Pejepscot History Center:

• Next month, 14th June, 09:00 am, Hidden History Tour in Brunswick

Also check out other Sports events in Brunswick, Workshops in Brunswick, Arts events in Brunswick.