At the edge of the war with Civil War Weekend

Civil War Weekend runs today through Sunday at Historic Washington State Park. (Submitted photo)
Civil War Weekend runs today through Sunday at Historic Washington State Park. (Submitted photo)

WASHINGTON, Ark.-The realities of life during a tumultuous time in our nation's history make the Civil War Weekend a must-see for anyone intrigued by the rich history of that era.

Held at Historic Washington State Park, Civil War Weekend activities run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Today is a day of special programming geared toward school children, but other visitors are welcome to visit, too.

"Anyone can come, but they're especially designed for the students," said Leita Spears, park interpreter, about today's program, which includes about two dozen stations that depict life on the home front during the Civil War.

Civil War reenactors will arrive early to augment what staff can provide today. Cannons are popular during the school visit, Spears said.

"We do have plenty of military involvement here, too, because we have infantry camps, cavalry camps and artillery camps," Spears said. They'll be set up for the entire weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, camps are set up at the tour houses with special activities at each stop, all related to Civil War history, such as the civilian camp that displays how people lived as they fled the fighting. At one time, Washington was the Confederate capitol of Arkansas.

"They were just trying to survive at the edge of the war," Spears said.

The Civil War skirmishes happen at 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The public can watch this re-enactment of the fighting that would have taken place back during the Civil War.

But there are aspects of Civil War life more benign that are portrayed, such as the town ball game at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Spears describes it as "a precursor of baseball." Visitors can join in the fun.

"We'll play by the 1860 rules," Spears said, adding, "You don't have to know how to play. That's all part of it."

Then Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the Methodist church in Washington hosts a Civil War era church service. Spears said people are interested to see how the service compares and contrasts with contemporary church services. And hopefully, another favorite activity at this restoration village will happen.

"If the weather permits and stars align correctly, we'll have horse-drawn surrey rides all three days," Spears said. "That's always really popular."

All three days, too, the park will host sutlers, who will sell goods to the many reenactors and to the public, items such as period clothing and outfits, wooden boxes and souvenir trinkets. "There's just such a variety," Spears said.

(Admission: $10 for adults, which allows entrance into everything happening during the day, including the skirmish; special pricing of $6 for children. More info: 870-983-2684.)

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