ORONO — This year as the United States commemorated the 150th year of the end of the Civil War, The Orono Historical Society explored the stories of some of the Orono men who went off to a brutal war to save the Union.
A lecture program, “Orono’s Role in the American Civil War: Stories of Soldiers and Citizens“ will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the Community Room of the Orono Public Library, 39 Pine St. Included in the program will be the stories of the Derocher brothers, William Hayes, Dr. William Allen, and Lt. Israel Washburn, son of Maine Governor Israel Washburn(1861-1863).
The program is based on a variety of sources and is dedicated to the late Dr. Douglas Glanville. Glanville, a 56- year resident of Orono, was a founding member of the Orono Historical Society. He served as president in its early years and was the author of “Old Orono Oddments” published in 1992. His research notes about Orono’s role in the Civil War from “The History of Penobscot County,” donated to the Orono Historical Society, led the way to developing this program.
There will be a timeline photo exhibit with commentary about the process of restoring the Civil War Monument as it nears completion, under the direction of Peter Crockett of Argyle Iron Works. The program is sponsored by the Orono Historical Society and is free and open to the public.