Guests Speakers

Our 16th President Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by Larry Elliott) addressed the crowd.

John Belisle is one of Perryville’s interpreter who did a first person interpretation of a private in the 15^th KY Infantry.

Joni House from The Kentucky Civil War Sites Association (and manager at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site) headed the planning for the event.

Robert Bell represented the 12th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Troops from Fort Nelson. The 12th Artillery were actually re-activated by the Kentucky legislature to form the 12th U.S.C.H.A.– and are not re-enactors but are actually the 12th.

Remarks from Joni House:

When we started this adventure back in 2017, I knew that when it was done - we would truly understand how important Kentucky’s military heritage is to our state’s tourism industry.

We surveyed 26 sights and that is just a drop in the bucket. There are many, many, many more military history sites in Kentucky that equally contribute to our tourism industry. The revenue those 26 site brought in was truly surprising. 10 million dollars in additional spending, a 7 million dollar contribution to the Commonwealth’s GDP and 1 million dollars in tax revenue to state and local governments. We believe this economic impact study will help our state and local leaders realize that these sites matter and help drive the economies of the local communities in which they are located. Simply put - Kentucky’s military history sites play a huge role in the state’s tourism industry.

The money is real and that is tremendous no doubt, however, we have something else to consider. I say to each of you that we have a bigger responsibility - we are the stewards of those that came before us. Our history is part of every Kentuckian - we can not escape it.

Our history whispers to us from the still waters of Reelfoot Lake, where an 11 year old girl wrote in her diary that the “earth shook for three minutes and the Mississippi ran backwards.” It calls out to you from the bloody battlefields of Blue Licks, Mill Springs, Perryville and all those battlefields that helped form our nation. It lays in the still woods through which the Wilderness Road meanders - the longhunters footprints, though long gone, imprint upon us still. It calls to us from the very rooms that surround us. The Kentuckians who possessed the artifacts within these exhibit galleries are still present - the places they purchased with life and limb are why we are here tonight. If those Kentuckians could emerge from the shadows now and ask you, “Do you remember me?” What would we say?

So I encourage, plead and entreat you to remember our history. Honor and preserve these places because they are now our responsibility. As a good friend told me just days ago, if we don’t hold these places dear, what do we hold dear? Thank you - please enjoy the evening - good food, fine people, great history and Kentucky bourbon!

Representative Jerry Miller talking history with The Fort Boonesborough Foundation’s Elizabeth Chalfant and Kristi Heasley.

Actor Steve Zahn is a military history buff who has a farm in Central Kentucky.

Folks from The Battle of Richmond, held a drawing (from Lincoln’s hat) for a Civil War Cookbook.

When speakers took to the steps in The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History everyone stopped to listen.

Chad Greene, president of the Friends of Perryville stopped for a photo with his wife Joni House.

We also spotted Green later talking with Ron Vanover Director of Kentucky’s Recreational Parks and Historic Sites.

The Fort Boonesborough Foundation

Logan’s fort was well represented and is one of the newer groups formed to promote the recently reconstructed fort in Stanford Kentucky.

Members of the Friends of Perryville were total y wrapped up in the presentation by John Belisle.

It was all about history as the guests mingled and enjoyed good food and good company.