Tom Ginnett, a Civil War reenactor and historian with the 1st Ohio Battery K, shares a story of a sharpshooting battle during the war to Marietta resident Ron Warner Saturday morning at History in the Park. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

MARIETTA — History stretched from the Revolutionary War to the nation’s 250th anniversary Saturday as reenactors, historical organizations and visitors gathered for the third annual History in the Park at Muskingum Park.

Hosted by the Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley, the event brought historical groups, costumed interpreters and demonstrations of historic crafts to downtown Marietta despite the threat of rain, which kept some scheduled participants away.

Nancy Arthur, president of the Civil War Roundtable, said 28 groups had initially signed up to participate. Although not all made it because of the forecast, she was pleased with the turnout — particularly appearances by interpreters portraying Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

“I love the families with little people coming in,” Arthur said.

The event included representatives of the Washington County Historical Society, Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactors, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Ohio 250 Commission.

Arthur said the goal is to introduce visitors to the many layers of local and national history represented in Marietta.

“The history of Marietta, because we have the Washington County Historical Society here that starts from the beginning, and we’ve got the Revolutionary War reenactors. We’ve got Civil War reenactors,” she said. “We’ve got Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution here. So that’s the beginning of our country.”

Some participants even discovered the event after arriving in Marietta for the weekend. Arthur said a group of reenactors staying at the Lafayette Hotel learned about History in the Park online and asked whether they could put on their historical clothing and join the event.

“They were here at 8 o’clock and said, ‘Do you mind if we put on our garb?'” Arthur said. “I was so excited to see them, and they want to come back next year.”

Among those practicing a historic art form Saturday was Emily Edwards Turner with Wildwood Tintype Company, who was photographing reenactors using the tintype process.

Turner said exposures can range from about two seconds to 30 seconds depending on the conditions. Unlike modern photography, she said, the historic process relies heavily on ultraviolet light, meaning cloudy conditions can still provide what is needed to make an image.

Turner said she and her husband are both history enthusiasts and that she has collected antique photography for about 15 years.

“The history of it,” Turner said when asked what she enjoys most about tintype photography. “We’re both big history buffs, and I’ve been a collector of antique photography for about 15 years now, and I just wanted to learn to do it.”

She said the interest eventually led her to try making tintypes herself. Saturday’s event gave her another chance to practice while also creating images fitting the period portrayed by many of the reenactors.

“I don’t feel like you can ever get enough practice,” Turner said. “And, you know, just kind of give these guys a little something authentic to the time period because tintypes were authentic to the Civil War.”

The idea for History in the Park grew from the Civil War Roundtable’s collection of donated books, Arthur said. People clearing bookshelves or estates often donate books to the organization, which sells them to help pay for historical markers.

Arthur said the festival’s name and concept came to her one night as she considered what to do with the growing collection.

“Why not sell those for history? Where would we do it? In the park. History in the Park,” she said.

The event has continued to grow since its first year, Arthur said. Organizers have already set the next History in the Park for July 17, 2027.

Chris Blubaugh, a contractor with the Ohio 250 Commission, attended Saturday’s event to share information about activities connected with the commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.

“Of course, Marietta is a very historic town,” Blubaugh said.

He said the commission has been working with events across Ohio and is looking to support locally driven activities throughout the remainder of the anniversary year.

“We’re very happy that local communities are really driving these events, and then we can just kind of come along, help support, facilitate if they need it,” Blubaugh said.

Among those sharing local history was the Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which displayed a quilt created for the 250th anniversary.

Chapter Regent Patty Ullman said the project was inspired by a request to create a quilt square representing Washington County as part of a larger project involving Washington counties across the country.

Ullman decided the Marietta chapter could expand on the idea by creating an entire quilt.

“I thought that was a wonderful idea,” she said.

Chapter members worked together on the quilt, which incorporates printed images and patriotic fabric. Ullman said the group originally searched for red, white and blue material before finding a red fabric featuring eagles, the year 1776 and a bell.

“That’s just luck,” Ullman said. “Couldn’t pass it up.”

She said the fabric ultimately helped the historical images stand out and brought the project together.

For Arthur, events such as History in the Park offer a chance to keep discovering and sharing stories from the past.

“I just enjoy history, and everything you do, as you read about something, you uncover another one, another story, and then you uncover another story,” she said.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com