WHEELING, W.Va. – West Virginia Independence Hall (WVIH) in Wheeling and The Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable will host storyteller Chris Hart, who will present the experiences of a Civil War soldier and a dog named Curly who deserved a pension from Uncle Sam for his service with the 11th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The lecture will be held at WVIH’s courtroom on Saturday, May 14, beginning at 1 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
Hart brings to life over 50 historical characters from his historical research. His works have been featured in several magazines, including Ohio Magazine. In addition to the roles he plays, Hart serves as program developer of historic Roscoe Village.
A resident of Port Washington, Ohio, Hart graduated from Ohio Northern College in 1977 receiving a B.S. degree in science. He was a pharmacist in Tuscarawas County and serves as an adjunct professor at five universities, including Ohio State.
For more information about the lecture and WVIH, contact Debbie Jones, site manager, at (304) 238-1300 or Deborah.J.Jones@wv.gov.
West Virginia Independence Hall has been on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1970. It was originally built as a federal custom house in 1859, served as the home of the pro-Union state conventions of Virginia during the spring and summer of 1861 and as the capitol of loyal Virginia from June 1861 to June 1863. It also was the site of the first constitutional convention for West Virginia.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988, the museum is maintained and operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, with the cooperation and assistance of the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, except major holidays. The museum is located on the corner of 16th and Market Streets in Wheeling.
