Iowa Battle Flag Conservation Project

The State Historical Society of Iowa’s current Collections Manager/Flag Conservator and Historian, Sheila Hanke, will be presenting a talk about the Iowa Battle Flag project at the Muscatine Art Center on Sunday, October 9 at 2:00PM in the Music Room. Sheila is responsible for overseeing the stabilization and documentation of individual flags. She oversees policies, procedures and registration relating to the flag collection. Sheila also manages the conservation laboratory and supervises technical staff. She oversees the development of interpretive exhibitions and related publications.

Those in attendance of the talk will be able to view the progress of the historic conservation of Iowa’s military and territorial flags and will learn more about Iowa in the Civil War. For much of the 9 year preservation project, the public has been able to see the conservator at work in the laboratory through tours and video conferencing. The customized laboratory has provided a secure location for these national treasures to be documented, preserved and interpreted. These flags represent not only Iowa’s history but Iowa’s role in a pivotal event in our nation’s history. The preservation effort ensures that future generations will know the stories of the men and women who served this nation. By building a secure conservation laboratory, the State Historical Society of Iowa has provided the public with a unique look into the preservation process while protecting the flag collection.

The talk will be a 45 minute presentation on the history of the grassroots effort to launch the project, the flag collection and the conservation process.

DETAILS:

What: Iowa Battle Flag Conservation Project talk by Sheila Hanke
When: Sunday, October 9, 2011
Time: 2:00PM
Where: The Muscatine Art Center’s Music Room
Admission to this program is FREE.

Please contact Katy Doherty, Program Coordinator, with any questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at kdoherty@muscatineiowa.gov.

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10AM to 5PM, Thursday from 10AM to 7PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5PM Admission is FREE.

African Americans in the Civil War

An Iowa Soldier Writes Home:
The Civil War Letters of Union Pvt. Daniel J. Parvin 

Thursday, July 28, 3:00 - 5:45 PM, Book Signing
Saturday, July 30, 2:00 - 4:00 PM, Lecture and Book Signing by Phillip Hubbart, Great-great grandson of Daniel J. Parvin and author.

 Artillery in the Civil War

The Civil War is often referred to as the first “modern” war in history as it included the most advanced technology and innovations of warfare available at the time. Some of the innovations and advances of the Civil War included mass production of war material, rifling of gun barrels (including the fatal Minnie Ball), the advent of repeating firearms and metallic cartridges, and the gradual decline of tactics from previous centuries.

In conjunction with the Muscatine Art Center’s exhibit, Muscatine and the Civil War: A Sesquicentennial Commemoration, the Muscatine Art Center will host 1st SGT David Lamb and the “Iowa Rifles” of Company “A” 49th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The “Iowa Rifles” will present a special program on the use of artillery during the Civil War, using their own non-firing pieces. The “Iowa Rifles” consists of four certified Civil War artillerists who will accurately and safely demonstrate the use of the weapons used during the four years of the Civil War.

It is the mission of the “Iowa Rifles” SVR Unit to “further the ideals of the Department of Iowa, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, through the provision of a highly trained and proficient marching unit that shall consist of a Color Guard, and associated other small units to perform at public functions of all sorts at the direction of the Iowa Rifles commanding NCO/Officer.”

Event details:
What: The Iowa Rifles
When: Saturday, July 2, 2011
Where: Muscatine Art Center Music Room
Time: 3:00 to 4:00 PM
This event is FREE and open to the public.

For questions, please contact Katy Doherty, Program Coordinator at (563) 263-8282, or by email at kdoherty@ci.muscatine.ia.us.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine. We are open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday