Monday, Feb. 2nd – Musician Steve Ball will entertain attendees of the Charles H. Grosvenor Civil War Round Table meeting on Monday, March 2nd, with Civil War Era music. This presentation, 7:00 p.m. at the Athens County Public Library (30 Home St.), will focus on what Steve calls, “The Music of Lincoln.” These will be period songs for which President Abraham Lincoln expressed particular fondness. As Ball introduces each song he will talk briefly about the history and background of that piece. Toward the end of his performance, he will entertain requests from the audience for favorite Civil War tunes. This promises to be both a fun and educational evening. It is free and open to the public.
Steve, a musician from Columbus Ohio, is no stranger to Athens County, having provided Civil War music for both the dedication of the “Chauncey Boys” historical marker in 2022, the re-dedication of the “Boys in Blue” maker in the W. Union Street Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend in 2023, and the dedication of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry Memorial Highway markers in Nelsonville on Memorial Day weekend in 2024. He also played an instrumental role (pun intended) in the headstone re-dedication ceremony for several soldiers, including those who served in the United States Colored Troops, on Veterans Day weekend in 2024 in Rendville in nearby Perry County.
Not only does he specialize in music of the American Civil War, but he’s also an expert on the music and life of Stephen Foster. Steve has studied the American Civil War since his teens and has devoted the past twenty years to studying the music of this era in American history..
His presentations have included ones at the Ohio Statehouse, the National Civil War Museum, the American Civil War Museum of Ohio, and countless historical societies, genealogical societies, libraries, museums, Civil War Round Tables and other historical venues such as re-enactments or living history programs.
He has released two CDs of the music of the Civil War and is currently working on a CD of Stephen Foster tunes. Steve has been an instructor for Life Long Learning through Central Ohio Technical College. He also provides the music for the annual Springfield Ohio Civil War Symposium and is the narrator for the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Civil War Brass Band.
Steve is a member, and immediate past Ohio Department commander, of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust. He has participated in the annual Windham New York Civil War Music Gathering, and the Gettysburg Music Muster at the Gettysburg.
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All CWRT presentations are free and open to the public. Totally voluntary and optional donations to help defray costs of this and future CWRT meetings will be accepted.
Meetings starts at 7:00 p.m. in the large conference room in the Athens County Library at the Corner of Home and Lincoln streets in the City of Athens
If the weather turns inclement, we will send out an email on Monday to inform you of the meeting cancellation. If you do not receive such an email notice of cancellation, you can assume the meeting will be held as scheduled. Also, a Level 2 Emergency invoked by the Athens County sheriff will automatically cancel our meeting.
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Meetings starts at 7:00 in the large conference room in the Athens County Library at the Corner of Home and Lincoln streets in the City of Athens.
