FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2013
Contact:   Melissa Couture
207-626-8400

*** Media Advisory***

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap to speak to Washburn Students about Maine’s involvement in the American Civil War

Presentation to more than 100 students is part of the Secretary of State’s Sesquicentennial for Schools Program

Washburn, Maine – Secretary of State Matt Dunlap will be speaking to students from David J. Lyon Washburn District Elementary and Washburn District High School in Washburn on the morning of May 9, 2013 to discuss with students the impact that Maine had on the Civil War and the impact that the Civil War had on Maine.

As part of an ongoing commemoration by the Maine State Archives of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of America’s Civil War the Secretary of State has created the Sesquicentennial for Schools Program.  The intent of the program is to help Maine students get a better understanding of the important part their state played in one of our Nation's most prominent historic events.

?History is a special passion of mine, and I am delighted to work with our State Archivist, Dave Cheever to bring history to life for students,? said Secretary Dunlap.? ?The students really respond to stories of Maine?s role in the Civil War, and we have so many detailed archives from the time, we can share vibrant local anecdotes that they relate to, even in the twenty-first century.? I am very proud of the seemingly limitless information contained in our State Archives as we continue to receive new records each month.?

The Maine State Archives holds the most extensive collection of Civil War documents in the nation, including photographs of thousands of Maine soldiers, muster rolls, battlefield reports, official papers, and correspondence.

Secretary Dunlap’s presentation will bring the subject to a local level for students by offering accounts of people from their town or neighboring towns, who contributed to or participated in the war efforts.  His visit to Washburn District Schools will include information on the 7th and 10th Maine Regiments, which both served in the Battle of Antietam, among others.