The adult/teen education committee of Renfrew Institute for Cultural and Environmental Studies is sponsoring a three-program series entitled “1812: Waynesboro and the War (The Impact, The Lifestyle and The Music).” The programs are free of charge and open to the public, and registration is not required. Donations are appreciated.
“Marking the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, this series delves into what caused the war, along with the effects it had on the lives of ordinary people living in our region,” says Sherry Hesse, Director of Cultural Studies at Renfrew Institute. “Our national anthem was written during this war, but there is so much more to learn about it.”
The first program is on Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the visitors’ center at Renfrew Park. Local educator and historian, Darwin Seiler, will present “Setting the Stage: The Build-up to the War of 1812.”
By 1812, relations between the U.S. and Britain were severely strained after years of British naval vessels intercepting American commercial ships, seizing cargo and interfering with crews. Americans viewed this as a violation of their rights, but this alone did not lead to war.
Even two centuries later, historians do not agree on interpreting the causes of what has been called “the forgotten war.” Wedged between the Revolution and the Civil War, its causes, battles and consequences are familiar to few today.
Seiler will discuss the economic, political and social conditions that existed in America—and elsewhere—in the early 19th century and how they led to our involvement in the War of 1812.
“The discussion examines conditions and factors on the local, national and international level,” he explains, “and explores differing interpretations of these factors with regard to the major cause of the conflict.”
Seiler graduated from Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in education, and also attended Temple University. An educator for 29 years, he teaches U.S., state and local history at Waynesboro Area Senior High School, where he is also a track and football coach. Seiler believes that “the better we understand the past, the better chance we have of making sense of today.”
The second lecture in the series on Thursday, March 1 is “Children of the Conflict: Waynesboro’s Youth in 1812,” presented by Marie Lanser Beck and Maxine Beck, local authors, educators and historians.
The final presentation on Wednesday, April 11 is “War Songs…The War of 1812 as Told Through Ballads,” presented by David K. Hildebrand, Ph.D., a professional musical historian and performer.
The lecture series is funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, by Charles and Undine Warner, and by Today’s Horizon Fund Contributors: APX Enclosures, Inc., The Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin, PenMar Development Corporation, and the Nora Roberts Foundation. Facility support provided courtesy of Renfrew Museum and Park.
Parking is available behind the visitors center or in Renfrew’s lower lot off Welty Road. For more information, please visit www.renfrewinstitute.org or call the institute at 717-762-0373.
