A “Civil War soldier” will visit the Greene County Historical Museum on Sunday, March 8.
Dressed in a Union Army uniform, O.J. Fargo of Creston will give a first-person account of an Iowa soldier’s Civil War experience in a program he’s titled “Just Before the Battle, Mother.”
The 2 pm program, sponsored by Humanities Iowa, is free and open to the public. Snow date is March 15.
During Fargo’s presentation, he will encourage the audience to ask questions and engage in dialog with the “soldier,” who stays in character.
“Once I start,” says Fargo, “it will be 1865 for everyone in the crowd.”
The speaker will display Civil War artifacts and books he has written about America’s bloodiest conflict, as well as an electronic Civil War roster of the 72,000 Iowa men who served. It can be searched by name, city, county and birthplace.
Fargo is a former social studies teacher and adjunct professor at Green Valley Area Education Agency in Creston. He began reenacting Civil War battles in 1993 as a member of Army of the Southwest, an Iowa Civil War re-enactment organization.
The museum is located at 219 E. Lincoln Way in Jefferson.
