103rd O.V.I. Museum Dedication – August 1972

Well, it's almost the  middle of August – and that means that it's time for Camp Week again at the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in Sheffield Lake, the once-a-year reunion of the descendants of the Union veterans who served in the 103rd Regiment O.V.I. The tradition goes all the way back to 1866, when the men of the 103rd decided to hold an annual reunion in the summer.

According to my inside source, it all starts this Saturday! I hadn't noticed the cars parked all over the place on the grounds yet, so I figured the reunion must be coming up.

Anyway, if you've never been to the 103rd O.V.I. Museum, then you are definitely missing something. They have a great collection of Civil War artifacts that are worth a look if that's your passion. And if you time your visit to coincide with one of their fantastic Pancake Breakfasts, admission to the museum is free!

Anyway, here's an article (below) written by Betsy Watson that ran in the Lorain Journal on August 12, 1972 that talks about the dedication of the museum. It also gives a nice capsule history of the 103rd's exploits in the Civil War.

And here is the accompanying photo, featuring Mary Frye, who in 1972 was one of the four remaining daughters of the original veterans, and Cassandra Brothers, who headed up the memorial foundation at that time.