News release from the Forbes House Museum
The 3RD annual Civil War Concert featuring the band, Dixon’s Gold, will take place on the grounds of the Forbes House Museum on Sunday, 11 August beginning at 3pm.
Dixon’s Gold, comprised of lead musician, Donn Scott Shetler, along with Jill Gross, Bruce Millard, John Moriconi and Eric Kilburn will cover songs sung by Civil War troops, both north and south.
The band will perform with mandolin, mandocello, string bass, trumpet, penny whistle, clarinet, banjo, and guitar, along with vocals. They will play favorites such as Johnny Comes Marching Home, The Battle Cry of Freedom and Lakes Of The Pontchatrain. The audience will be encouraged to sing along.
“The music can be traced back to ballads from the old country, England and Ireland,” says Donn Scott Shetler, “since many conscripts were immigrants or descendants of those countries.”
The festivities will also include re-enactor drills by the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a Victorian Lawn Party demonstration by the United States Sanitary Commission Boston Branch (the 22nd Massachusetts ladies civilian group), tours of the FHM Lincoln Cabin and a viewing of a 1924 silent film featuring Mary Bowditch Forbes and the Grand Army of the Republic.
The Lincoln Cabin, an exact replica of President Lincoln’s Hodgenville, KY birthplace, will be open to the public. It was built in 1924 by Dorchester native Thomas Murdock and commissioned by Mary Bowditch Forbes (1878- 1962). Ms. Forbes, a descendant of China Trade merchants, collected President Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia for 50 years.
Concert goers must bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Snack items and beverages will be for sale by Julia Elizabeth with Loose Your Manners catering. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and beverages, too.
Tickets are available in advance; $10 per person for adults; $8 per person for members; $25 for a family of four; $20 for a member family. Children under 5 are free. Visit the events page on the museum’s website,http://forbeshousemuseum.org/
For more information on Donn Scott Shetler and Dixon’s Gold, visit the website http://www.cmonman.com/ or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/
For more information about the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and the United States Sanitary Commission Boston Branch (the 22nd Massachusetts ladies civilian group), visit their website athttp://www.22ndmass.org/.
For more information on programs, membership and group tours at Forbes House Museum, call 617.696.1815or visit our website at www.forbeshousemuseum.org.