On June 4, 2011, the City of Rolla, Missouri celebrated the sesquicentennial of its founding. If you visit the city’s Web page, look below the photograph of the railroad car; there’s a line of tabs there, the one on the right pointing to sesquicentennial links. The railroad from St. Louis ended here and made it important in the conduct of the war.

A Small Reenactor

Our house is across the street from the historical Phelps County Court House. Whenever there are reenactments, some of the participants camp there. This year it was a group representing dismounted Confederate cavalry.

The original part of our house was built only a year or two later than the courthouse. Union officers were quartered there during the war. It is astounding to wake up in a room once inhabited by Union soldiers and look out the window to see an encampment.

People do reenactments do as much as possible to recreate the clothing, tents, weapons, implements, cooking, etc of the original as they can. I took several photographs this year. Here is another one of the Confederate reenactors firing a volley. Our house is in the direction of their fire. (They shot blanks!)

Firing a volley!