Lunch With Books announces upcoming June events
WHEELING – The Ohio County Public Library has announced upcoming Lunch With Books programs.
They include:
noon Tuesday, “Blood in West Virginia: Brumfield Versus McCoy.” Author Brandon Kirk will discuss his book on the Lincoln County Feud, a family war in Harts Creek in the 1880s. The feud was covered in national newspapers, and considered worse than the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. Kirk reconstructs the largely forgotten feud.
noon June 9, “General Rosecrans.” David Moore will discuss his book, “William S Rosecrans and the Union Victory: A Civil War Biography.” Rosecrans was stationed in Wheeling for a time at the Charles Wells Russell house and designed one of the most successful battlefield ambulances used in the war.
“One could argue that he is one of the very key persons in making West Virginia’s independence possible,” Moore said. “If the Union army didn’t occupy much of western Virginia, a referendum for independence would have had little effect. Rosecrans spent a fair amount of time in Wheeling early in the war and he and his wife had their portraits painted there.”
noon June 12, “American Brutus.” Michael W. Kauffman, a Lincoln assassination authority, will discuss his bestselling book, “American Brutus.” Kauffman offers an unprecedented, authoritative account of the Lincoln murder conspiracy. Working from an array of archival sources and new research, Kauffman sheds new light on the background and motives of John Wilkes Booth, the mechanics of his plot to topple the Union government, and the trials and fates of the conspirators.
noon June 16, “Civil War Battle Flags.” Dr. Joe Laker, West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation Board chair, and Dennis E. Frye, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park chief historian, will screen and discuss the history behind and making of “Waving for Liberty and the Union,” a 13-minute introductory video for the Civil War battle flags exhibit on display at West Virginia Independence Hall Museum.
7 p.m. June 16, “Lincoln’s Union in Peril.” Frye will discuss his Civil War book, “September Suspense: Lincoln’s Union in Peril.” Frye, a writer, lecturer, guide and preservationist, is a prominent historian with numerous appearances on PBS, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel and A&E. One of the nation’s leading Civil War battlefield preservationists, he is co-founder of Civil War Trust. He also is a author, with 94 articles and nine books and has written for Civil War magazines such as America’s Civil War and Blue and Gray.
7 p.m. June 18, “Evening With the Arts: La Danza.” The library will present the premier of ” La Danza: Bridging Time Through Dance,” a documentary film that highlights the challenges and opportunities in preserving traditional Italian dance. This short film features traditional dances from several regions of Italy as well as interviews with experts, workshops on dances and performances featuring Allegro Dance Co.
noon June 23, “Wheeling Hospital and the Civil War.”
Wheeling historian Margaret Brennan will explore the role of Wheeling Hospital and the Sisters of St. Joseph in caring for wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate.
noon June 30, “Ripped From the Headlines: Part 2.” Jeanne Finstein and Judi Hendrickson of the Friends of Wheeling, will explore the dark side of Wheeling’s history, discussing sensational stories from the past that run the gamut from murder and mayhem to the pathetic and amusing.
Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public.
Attendees are welcome to bring a bag lunch and complimentary beverages are provided.
Call the library at (304) 232-0244 or visit the library’s website at ohiocountlibrary.org for information.