Civil War Concert and History Day

Troy Area Historical Organizations to Hold Civil War Concert and History Day

Donations to benefit the Overfield Tavern Museum

TROY, Ohio [July 25] – Troy area historical organizations are collaborating to host a Civil War Concert and History Day on Saturday, August 16, 2025. This free, family-friendly event will begin with a ceremony at 11 am to dedicate a new state historical marker commemorating Ohio’s Black Civil War soldiers. The marker and ceremony, sponsored by the City of Troy’s Human Relations Commission, will take place at Soldier’s Circle at Riverside Cemetery in Troy. More than 20 Black Civil War soldiers are buried at the cemetery.

At 1 pm, the Miami Valley Veterans Museum will host a dedication ceremony for their new diorama honoring the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first all-Black regiments in the Union Army during the Civil War. More than 150 men from the Miami Valley volunteered to serve in the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiments. The Miami Valley Veterans Museum, located at 2245 S. County Road 25A, is open that day from 12-4 pm.

A variety of Civil War-themed activities will also take place from 1 to 4 pm at the First Presbyterian Church at 20 S. Walnut Street in Troy. Displays and activities will include reenactors from the Stillwater Civil War Roundtable, book signing by local historian Martin Stewart (author of Redemption: The 71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War), tours of the church’s Underground Railroad artifacts and tunnel, activities for kids, and free samples of hardtack and chicory coffee. The Troy Historical Society will have Civil War memorabilia on display and will be selling copies of the out-of-print book Troy: The Nineteenth Century by Thomas B. Wheeler. The Local History and Genealogy Center will have authentic Civil War artifacts, letters, and journals on display at the event, and visitors will have the opportunity to create their own journal.

At 2 pm, a free benefit concert performed by Civil War musicians Steve and Lisa Ball and the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Band will take place at the First Presbyterian Church. Steve and Lisa Ball are musicians from Columbus, Ohio, who specialize in the music of the Civil War and the music and life of Stephen Foster. The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Band was formed in 2012 by founder and bandmaster John Huffman, Jr. Huffman is a 34-year veteran of the Ohio National Guard and was the Enlisted Bandmaster of the 122nd US Army Band while in the National Guard. The 73rd OVI Band uses actual Civil War-era brass instruments and performs in Union uniforms with correct reproduction Civil War music stands.

At 4 pm, Abraham Lincoln impersonator John Cooper will give a first-person performance about the life and times of the 16th President. Cooper has been portraying Lincoln for more than 25 years, performing at the Ohio State Fair, numerous county fairs and festivals, political dinners, and schools all across Ohio.

At 5 pm, a walking tour of historic sites in downtown Troy associated with the Civil War and the Underground Railroad will begin at the First Presbyterian Church. The tour will last about an hour and will include a stop at the Museum of Troy History, which has an exhibit of Civil War artifacts on display. The museum will also be open that day from 1-5 pm.

All events are free and open to the public. Donations to the Overfield Tavern Museum’s Fire Recovery Fund are encouraged and gratefully accepted.