Ungar and Mason

KINGSTON – Ulster County is attractive for many reasons. It’s a meeting place for the Catskills and the Hudson River, which has attracted settlers and visitors since the mid 1600s.

 And now history from the 19th century will be on grand display during the weekend of May 22-24.

Ashokan Civil War Days will be conducted at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, and it will include a weekend of Civil War re-enactments with 150 re-enactors, including a skirmish, period music from Molly Mason and Jay Ungar and portrayals of Abraham Lincoln and John Burroughs.

“The Civil Days weekend will be a total immersion in history with a lot of re-enactments, and you’ll see what life was life during the 19th century,” said Mason, during a press conference Monday to promote event at the Senate House state historic site.

Mason and Ungar, her husband, were featured musicians on the soundtrack of Ken Burns’ “Civil War,” which was originally broadcast on PBS nearly 20 years ago. Ungar wrote “Ashokan Farewell,” now a modern acoustic classic, about his time in the region, and Burns’ chose it as the title track for his documentary series.

“This event is a really a dream come true for me,” said Ungar. “(Ashokan Farewell) connected us very strongly to the Civil War. Now we can bring a first class Civil War event to Ashokan itself.”

Kingston was the first capital of New York, and the British burned it when they raided the community in the Revolutionary War. Sojourner Truth, the abolitionist, was a former slave born in Rifton and won a court case in Kingston to have her son released from slavery. And when it came time to fight during the Civil War, New York was major contributor to the effort.

“New York (state) sent more men, money and equipment, so it’s only natural that New Yorkers would be interested in the Civil War,” said Lew Werner, the event’s military coordinator and a re-enactor.

During the Civil War, the North benefited from plenty of money and manpower from New York City. But men from across the state, including Catskill loggers and quarrymen and farmers from throughout the region volunteered to fight in the war.

“It started out as an idea,” said Werner, of the upcoming event, “and we went to the Ashokan Center, and we thought this would be a great place to have this kind of event.”

For more information about the Ashokan Civil War Days, call the Ashokan Center at 845-657-8333.