Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Presents Battle of Lexington Reenactment - 2011-09-15

Serving as the climactic apex of the Missouri Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission’s year of programs, Lexington, Mo., is preparing for its reenactment of the Battle of Lexington, September 14-18. Firm attorney Kent Emison was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to serve on the Sesquicentennial commission, which plans educational and entertaining events aimed at boosting tourism in the state to commemorate the150^th anniversary of the Civil War. 

A schedule of events has been posted that describes the full array of activities. Included in the festival will be a Civil War Film Festival and a reenactment on Sunday the 18th of the Battle of the Hemp Bales.

In addition, on Sept. 17 hospital tours will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. of the Oliver Anderson House at Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington. The Anderson House served as a hospital for Federal troops during the 1861 Battle of Lexington. On this coming Saturday, the public will be able to visit the make-shift hospital and see re-created scenes that may have taken place in a field hospital during the Civil War. Scenes will include doctors doing various surgeries, priests giving last rites, and women tending to the wounded and writing letters home for wounded soldiers. The candlelight tours will depart from the visitor center every 15 minutes. The cost for tours is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 13 years of age.

The Battle of Lexington State Historic Site is located at 1101 Delaware St. in Lexington. For more information about the tours, you can call the site at 660-259-4654 or the Missouri Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946. For more information on state parks and historic sites, you can visit mostateparks.com.