Step into the past with Living History Nights presented by the Gallipolis Living History Nights Committee. Each night a scholar will assume the role of a notable historical figure and perform a monologue based on the life of that individual. Followed by an audience Q & A and then a meet & greet with the scholar. Performances are suitable for students and adults. Pre-performance entertainment at 6:15 PM and performance begins at 7:00 PM.
July 18th
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882): Mrs. Lincoln, as she preferred to be called, remains the subject of robust study, conflicting opinions, and imaginative speculation, as found in countless books (novels and non-fiction), films, documentaries, podcasts, and stage plays that continue to flourish. The 2022 Broadway play "Oh, Mary!" was so popular, it had to be extended. Twice! So what IS it about this woman -- repeatedly vilified in her lifetime - that's etched her in history as so endlessly intriguing? Certainly being First Lady during the Civil War and the grieving widow of America's first assassinated president offers only a whisper of an answer. Those dramatic circumstances were beyond Mary's control. Yet they DID serve to intensify the harsh spotlight of public opinion already focused on the idiosyncratic, controversial, and often inexplicable aspects of her complicated life. Today, even as recent studies have brought new facts to the conversation, the contrasting theories, polar arguments, and unanswerable questions continue to flourish. But what is the story Mary would tell about herself? That's a question few seem to be asking and yet it seems an equally essential one. It certainly would have been one for this brilliant woman who had experienced a lifetime of tragedy, beginning at age six when her mother died and was hastily replaced by an ill-equipped stepmother. Never at a loss for words, Mary had much to say about it all, including her opinions about the people, politics, history, and events she experienced in her lifetime. (courtesy of Anne McEvoy) Anne McEvoy is a professional actor/director based in NE Ohio where she's performed at the Beck Center, Cleveland Play House, Dobama, Great Lakes Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, None Too Fragile - Akron, Seat of the Pants, NaCl-NY, and others, including the Contemporary Theatre of Columbus. In 2019, she directed the world premier of Lisa Langford's Rastus and Hattie at Cleveland Public Theatre. She currently serves as Vice President of Women in History Ohio with whom she's been performing since 2000. In addition to Mary Todd Lincoln, Anne portrays 20 other characters.
July 19th
Lucretia Garfield
Lucretia Rudolph Garfield (1832-1918) was born in Garrettsville, Ohio to parents who felt that education was important for all their children: male and female alike. After grammar school, Lucretia attended the Geauga Seminary and then the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College), co-founded by her father. Lucretia loved literature and the classical world and while at school started a literary society and edited a school magazine. She became fluent in French, German, Latin, and Ancient Greek. Lucretia met her future husband, James Garfield, at Geauga Seminary and, after a long courtship, they were married in 1858. During those first years of marriage, James spent many, many months away from home and soon because disenchanted with married life and rumors circulated that he became romantically involved with other women. After the death of their first child and the grief that they shared, the marriage between Lucretia and James grew stronger. In 1880, Garfield was nominated as the "dark horse" Republican candidate for President. Highly educated and very much interested in politics, Lucretia was a regular advisor for her husband and helped assist him with his campaign for the presidency. Becoming First Lady in March 1881, Lucretia relished the opportunity to meet prominent writers and artists. One of her goals as First Lady was to research the history and furnishings of the Executive Mansion and lobby for funds to make some much needed repairs. In May 1881, Lucretia developed a life-threatening case of malaria and was advised to finish her recuperation at the beach in Long Branch, NJ. It was here that she received word that her husband had been shot. Over the next three months, Lucretia stayed by James' bedside as his health deteriorated. Her devotion earned her the sympathy and admiration of the nation. Once widowed, Lucretia moved back to Ohio and, over the years, worked to preserve the records of her husband's presidency and, in doing so, established what would be the first presidential library. (courtesy of History.com, the National Park Service, and Wikipedia) Tammy Souhrada is a reading teacher who has lived in Mount Vernon, Ohio since 1995. She is married with three grown children. Not quite an empty nester, she does have two babies of the four-legged variety to keep her company. A lover of theater, she has written several short plays and maintains a position on the Mount Vernon Players community theater board. Previous living history portrayals have included Lizzie Borden, Typhoid Mary, Agatha Christie, Alexandra Feodorovna, a Lady of Pompeii, Mary Shelley, and Madame Curie.
July 20th
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) was born in Southampton, New York to affluent parents. John and Janet Bouvier were part of the social register until her father "Black Jack" lost most of the family fortune in less than admirable dealings on Wall Street. After her parent's divorce, Jackie went to live with her mother and new step-father in Virginia. Always the independent spirit and personality, Jackie succeeded in all that she did. She was an accomplished equestrian, ballerina, reader, and excelled at learning several foreign languages. She studied history and French literature in college. She was awarded an apprenticeship from Vogue magazine to study and work in Paris. Soon after graduation, Jackie began working for the Washington Times-Herald as a photographer. It is here that she met a young and handsome congressman named John F. Kennedy. They would marry, have (and lose) children and Jack would become President. Throughout their turbulent and very public marriage, Jackie had to take a back seat and suppress her own hopes and dreams. While First Lady, she would find her voice in the preservation and restoration of the White House. After the tragedy of John F. Kennedy's death, Jackie found herself a young widow with two small children. She now needed to find out who Jacqueline Kennedy was. In 1968 she would marry a man that she, her family and Jack had known for many years - Aristotle Onassis, a man more than 20 years her senior. He provided the security and secrecy that Jackie needed. Upon his death in 1975, Jackie, once again, was left to rediscover herself. Her children were older and she now needed a new purpose in her life. She went back to her roots and what she loved - books. She would go on to become an editor for Viking Press and for Doubleday. Although never out of the news, she could now live a life that was much more private. This gave her a chance to explore who she really was and to find happiness. (courtesy of Amy Stoner) Amy Stoner has been acting, on stage, since 1986 and is originally from Mount Vernon, Ohio. Mrs. Stoner has been portraying historical characters for several years in the Elixir Presents Chautauqua series and is now owner and manager of MadCap Living History in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Among her characters are Amelia Earhart, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Katherine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Louisa May Alcott, Princess Diana Spencer, Gilda Radner, Maria von Trapp, Pocahontas, Laura Ingles Wilder, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, Helen Keller, Sacajawea, Janis Joplin, and Amelia Bloomer. Amy lives in Frederickstown, Ohio with her husband, Jim, who is also a historical actor and the playwright of "The Black Cyclone: The Charles Follis Story." Amy is an elementary music teacher for the North Fork Local School District in Licking County, Ohio.
Meet the Organizers
The Gallipolis Living History Nights Committee is comprised of local community members who are passionate about bringing history alive for Gallia County residents and visitors. Members include; Debbie Saunders, Chairperson (Bossard Memorial Library) Lynn Pauley (Bossard Memorial Library) Kaitlynn Halley (Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau) Amanda Crouse (Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau) Bob Hood (Gallia County Chamber of Commerce) David Moore (Gallia Vinton Educational Service Center) Bill Dummitt (Landbaron Properties LLC.) Grace Cremeens (Student) If you would like to make a donation to Living History Nights you can send it to the Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau with Living History Nights in the memo.
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