The General WHL Wallace Memorial Event, including a Civil War encampment at the Reddick Mansion and guided tours of the private Wallace-Dickey Cemetery, returns to Ottawa, IL, on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, 2024.
The grounds of the Reddick Mansion will host a group of Civil War re-enactors on Saturday, May 18th (10am-4pm) including a blacksmith and a wool spinner. The soldiers will be demonstrating all facets of camp life including cooking and baking, marching and training, cleaning weapons and readying to go into battle. “This is truly living history”, said event chair, Chuck Sanders. “People will be able to talk with the re-enactors and demonstrators and learn about life as a soldier and civilian in the 19th century.” Cost for entry to the encampment will be $5.00/person and $20.00/family.
Guided tours of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery will be given on Sunday, May 19th. All participants will ride small buses from the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum to the private, land-locked cemetery. During the ride to the cemetery, docents will share some history about the Wallace and Dickey families. At the cemetery, local historians Dan Schott and Hank Wash will talk about General Wallace’s personal history, his Civil War participation and his death as part of the battle of Shiloh. They will also discuss other people buried in the cemetery including his wife, Ann Wallace, and his father-in-law, Col. T. Lyle Dickey, prominent 19th century attorney. “Access to this private, family cemetery is extremely limited,” noted Schott, “and we hope people will enjoy and appreciate this unique opportunity.’
In order to control parking and access, visitors must ride the bus to and from the cemetery. People will not be able to join the tour at the cemetery site. Buses will be leaving the Museum every 30 minutes from 10am to 3:30pm on Sunday. Cost will be $15.00/person and $25.00/family. The Museum will also have several special Civil War displays set up for this event.
All monies raised will be use for the restoration of the wall surrounding the cemetery. “The cemetery is an important part of both Ottawa and Civil War history and our goal is to preserve it for future generations,” said Sanders.
For more information: gen-wallace@outlook.com or Website: genwallace.com.