Portrayed by Marlene Rivero Ann Bradford Strokes (1833-1903) worked aboard the Navy’s first Hospital Ship Red Rover of Mound City, Illinois. She worked with sick and wounded soldiers aboard the United States Naval Hospital Ship (U.S.N.) throughout the Western Theater of the Civil War on both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries. Stokes […]

Dr. Trevor Steinbach is a retired Elementary Principal & Curriculum Director for the GenoaKingston School District in Genoa, IL. He has over 45 years of experience in Education grades K-12. His undergraduate degrees are in History, Communications, and English, his two Masters Degrees in Curriculum and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Steinbach has been portraying Civil War medical officers since the early 1990’s. His current personas include Dr. James R.M. Gaskill from 17th Corps Field Hospital and Dr. Urban G. Owen from the Army of Tennessee Field Hospital. He is the Division Surgeon for the First Federal Division, a national group of reenactors from New York to California that run large events. In that capacity, he facilitates real medical personnel at their events that have between 2,000-10,000 reenactors as a First Responder. He has presented his medical impressions at over 700 events in IL, WI, KY, TN, MS, VA, PA, MO, and IA. He has published over 195 articles on medicine in the Civil War Courier national publication. He writes a feature monthly column on medicine of the period. He is a member of the Board of Directors with the Society of Civil War Surgeons, which provides seminars and support for medical reenactors and historians. Dr. Steinbach has presented at the Society’ National Convention and he has written teacher materials on Medicine for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. His movie credits includes the independent movies "Prairie Rose" in which he portrays a Confederate Surgeon at the prisoner of war Camp Douglas in Chicago in 1864, “Finding Isaac Thorp” in which he portrays a Union Surgeon, and “Seeing the Elephant” the 360 movie at the Midwest Civil War Museum in Kenosha, WI. He resides in Batavia, IL and is a life member of the Batavia Historical Society.

Elder Marilyn James will take us on a storytelling journey through the history of her family in Southern Illinois; from her enslaved great-great grandpa to her present family history in Pulaski, Tamms, Sandusky and Carbondale,Illinois. The presentation will include a pictorial display of her family history and legacies.

SIX YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS TERRITORY 1812-1818 WHEN JOHNSON COUNTY SPANNED RIVER TO RIVER      When Johnson County was created in the Illinois Territory, its boundaries were from the Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the east and south.  Its northern boundary included what is now the cities of Marion and […]