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Mondays colorful Memorial Day parade wound up at 11:30 a.m. with an Open House at the Somers Historical Society.
The highlight was a special presentation by Middle School eighth-grader, Tom Krawetz. His research into Somers Civil War veterans impressed his teacher, William Wienecke, so much that Wienecke thought the results of his project should be shared with the general public.
The Historical Societys Grace Zimmermann was delighted. We want to engage people in history, she said. Especially in this electronic age, we dont need to get all our information from textbooks.
Krawetz began his project by wandering through Somers Mount Zion Cemetery in search of old tombstones. He zeroed in on two: George Turner and Albert Kniffen. He traced their lives in Somers and illustrated with maps and photographs, including the houses they lived in. Turner survived the war and went on to live a long life. Kniffen, who was a stone mason, died in the war. Somers Kniffen Road was named in his honor.
Krawetz concluded by describing various Civil War battlefields that he has visited with his father, Tim.
It was an especially fitting way to kick off the Historical Societys celebration of the Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary of the Civil War. The first official Memorial Day observance took place on May 30, 1868.
The Somers Historical Museum, in the Elephant Hotel, 335 Route 202, is open to the public on Thursdays, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Memorial Day, Veterans Day and by appointment.
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