It will take place late next month.
Frederick, Md. (KM) – Civil War enthusiasts and some in the medical profession are expected in the Frederick area late next month for the 28th Conference on Civil War Medicine. The event is hosted by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.
John Lustrea, Director of Education for the Museum, says it all begins on Friday, September 30th at the Museum on East Patrick Street. “We recently had some prosthetic limbs restored in our collection, and we’re going bring those out for people to get a close up look at,” he says. “We’re to have the conservator on hand as well to answer questions and say a little piece of the process in preserving the limbs.”
Participants can also take part in a tasting of Civil War-inspired spirits. They can also talk with the staff, explore the galleries, and learn what’s next for the Museum.
Saturday, October 1st, there’s a tour of the Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, where participants can learn how the sisters there worked as nurses during Civil War campaigns. And then after lunch, attendees will tour the Spanger Farm in Gettysburg. “Spangler Farm was used a as field hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg. And then there’s going to be a lecture by Ron Kirkwood and he wrote on Spangler Farm’s use as a hospital {The book is entitled “Too Much For Human Endurance”} . And he’s going to do the presentation on the property itself so that should be pretty neat,” says Lustrea.
And on Sunday morning, there will be a guided tour of Monocacy National Battlefield by author Bryan Quint, and the Museum’s former Director of Interpretation, Jake Wynn.
In past conferences, Lustrea says there have usually been between 20 and 50 people attending. He says it’s “getting on toward 20 folks signed up already.”
The Museum says tickets for the Conference are $125 for Museum members and $150 for non-members. The tickets cover admission to all programs and tours, refreshments on Friday, and lunch on Saturday.
Interested individuals who want to attend can go on line to www.civilwarmed.org, or call 301-695-1864. Those participants coming from outside of the Frederick area who need lodging can call the Clarion Inn at 301-694-7500 and ask for the Civil War Medicine room block where they can reserve a room at a special rate.
Lustrea says most people who come to the Conference have a deep interest in the Civil War or medical history. “There are folks from the general public. People who are interested in Civil War history or medical history. A lot of time those are people who are in the medical field who are retired or actively practicing,” he says.
The last Conference on Civil War Medicine was held in 2019. :Lustrea says it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Kevin McManus