Tales of triumphs and tragedies related to the country’s history of armed conflict will be featured during the Dowagiac Area History Museum’s upcoming slate of lectures.

The downtown museum’s annual fall lecture series returns next week, kicking off a series of talks taking place at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month through December. Delivered by a slate of speakers from southwest Michigan and beyond, the lectures will focus on topics pertaining to the American Civil War, World War II and other U.S. conflicts, said Museum Director Steve Arseneau.

Featured speakers and topics are:

Sept. 7

Larry Bailey, Civil War re-enactor

“The Life of a Civil War Soldier”

Bailey, a longtime area Civil War re-enactor, will share the experiences a typical soldier endured during the War Between the States. Presenting in full uniform, Bailey will give a hands-on presentation to visitors, showing off some of the gear and weapons infantry employed as well as describing the kind of life and training involved with serving on the front lines of the conflict.

 

Oct. 5

Taras Lyssenko, of A&T Recovery

“Recovering Lost WWII Navy Aircraft in Lake Michigan”

Lyssenko, of Cassopolis, is renowned for recovering Navy aircraft from the bottom of Lake Michigan that were lost during aircraft carrier training exercises conducted on the lake during World War II. Lyssenko will share his findings and the history of the Navy’s training program on the lake.

 

Nov. 2

Dr. Veta Tucker, author and historian

“The Kentucky Raid of 1847”

Tucker, an author from the greater Detroit area, will give a presentation about the infamous Kentucky Raid, an incident that occurred when a group of southern slave catchers arrived in Cass County to kidnap fugitive slaves living in the area. Tucker will discuss the history behind the incident and how it affected American history in the years leading up to the civil war.

 

Dec. 7

Steve Arseneau, Dowagiac Area History Museum Director

“Dowagiac During World War II”

Arseneau himself will deliver the last presentation of the fall docket, an examination of Dowagiac’s involvement with the war effort during World War II.

His talk will look at how the city’s factories contributed to military production, some stories from Dowagiac soldiers who fought in the conflict and what was going on throughout the community at the time.

“I think these will be some pretty popular topics that should draw some good crowds,” Arseneau said.

The museum director chose to highlight military themes for the upcoming lecture series in order for the talks to tie in with the planned opening of the museum’s new temporary exhibit on Oct. 19, “Battle Tested: Wartime Stories of Cass County.” Still under development, the exhibit will showcase letters, photos and other artifacts from Cass County soldiers who went to war for their country.

“The exhibit will focus more on the personal stories from these local individuals who fought in battle rather than be a straight historical recounting of the conflicts,” Arseneau said.

Beginning back when the museum was still located on the campus of Southwestern Michigan College, the annual lecture series has been an ongoing part of the museum’s programming for decades. Over the last several years, the programs have been well attended by the public, with each talk bringing in between 75 to 100 people, Arseneau said.

“A lot of people are not label readers, but they like to hear from someone who had done a lot of research about a particular subject,” Arseneau said. “These speakers are experts in their fields of study and people want to glean that kind of information. It is often easier for them to do so through a lecture instead an exhibit.”

Attendance to any of the upcoming lectures is free of charge for museum members, and costs $5 for non-members. Children under the age of 18 are also admitted free of charge.

For membership or additional information, people can contact the museum at (269) 783-2560 or at http://www.dowagiacmuseum.info.