Civil War

Discover the lives and opinions of the first ladies before, during and after the US Civil War during a free program at noon on Wednesday, June 12, at our Main Branch.

A guest park ranger from First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton will share the stories and unique eyewitness accounts of First Ladies Harriet Lane, Mary Lincoln, Julia Grant and Lucy Hayes.

This program is part of the Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War lecture series — organized by James A. Garfield National Historic Site and hosted by us. It’s open to all. Due to limited space, registration is required. Sign up online or by calling us at 440-255-8811 ext. 1.

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in the Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

• Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
• The Atlanta Campaign
• Gettysburg
• The Fourteenth Amendment
• The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Learn how to protect your heirlooms with a curator from the National Park Service! Kelsey Voit from James A. Garfield National Historic Site explains how to properly care for precious artifacts, including papers, textiles, metals, and photos (including daguerreotypes and tin types.)

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

• Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
• The Atlanta Campaign
• Gettysburg
• The Fourteenth Amendment
• The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Explore the life and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant with Todd Arrington, site manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

You’ve probably heard of Vicksburg and even the Credit Mobilier scandal, but do you know what Grant did when he was gifted an enslaved man? Or what he said after the first day of Shiloh? Or his parallels with Eisenhower?

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

• Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
• The Atlanta Campaign
• Gettysburg
• The Fourteenth Amendment
• The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Abraham Lincoln is widely thought of as one of the nation’s best presidents. However, he nearly lost his reelection bid in 1864.

Todd Arrington, site manager at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, revisits 1864 when Lincoln hoped to win a second term. But Democratic candidate George B. McClellan didn’t make it easy, and voters were split between those who thought the Civil War needed to continue and those who wanted to make peace with the Confederacy.

This talk is part of a monthly series on the leaders and legacies of the Civil War that is hosted by the James A. Garfield National Historic Site and Mentor Public Library. Several talks in this series can be viewed online in their entirety including:

• Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
• Juneteenth: The Significance of June 19
• The Atlanta Campaign
• Gettysburg
• The Fourteenth Amendment
• The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain