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BE A PART OF THE SEPTEMBER 11th PROJECT
Forms are available at the Museum’s front desk, in pdf form here, or you can use this email link: info@wabashmuseum.org (the form is included in the body of this link). Once completed, they can be mailed to the museum, left at the front desk, or emailed to info@wabashmuseum.org. The museum is located at 36 E. Market Street in downtown Wabash. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Among the thousands of artifacts in the Wabash County Historical Museum’s archives, there is a large leather-bound book. The embossed inscription on the front reads, “Personal War Sketches, 1890, Grand Army of the Republic.” Inside the 121-year-old book, each page has room for a Wabash County veteran to tell his unique story of time spent in the United States Civil War. “We ran across it when we were doing research for the Lincoln exhibit,” said Heather Allen, archivist at the Museum. “Each veteran was given the chance to share what unit he was in, where he served, what battles he participated in, and what he thought was the most important event he witnessed. There is also room to record who his closest comrades were. The sad thing is that only about 40 percent of the book is used. There were many veterans who for some reason didn’t get their stories told.” Museum staff realized how special this book is. And it made them think. “How smart were those guys to preserve this first-hand history of Wabash County?” said Tracy Stewart, Executive Director. “They must have realized in 1890 that the veterans were dying and they had to get the stories of the most significant event of their generation quickly or lose them forever. “It made us think...what stories are we losing? What immediately came to my mind was September 11, 2001. It is one of those times when you remember exactly where you were and how you felt.” Allen agreed. “If we start gathering stories now, just ten years after the event, we have so much more time. When future generations read our September 11th stories, they will be just as enthralled as we are today with the stories of Civil War veterans.” With the tenth anniversary of the attacks fast approaching, the museum is inviting any current or former residents of Wabash County to share their stories by filling out a form. “The method is very simple. We have a one-page form that asks where you were, how you heard the news, what you did the rest of the day, and how you felt. There is room on the back if you have more to write. We will keep these in the archives for future generations,” said Stewart. “We hope that lots of people take this opportunity to share their stories,” said Allen. “It’s our way of preserving the history of Wabash County.”
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