Field Trip: Johnson’s Island & Wolcott “Keeper’s House” &

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Join us for a field trip to two of Marblehead’s historical museums, Johnson’s Island Confederate Cemetery and the Wolcott “Keeper’s House” on Wednesday, Aug. 23 starting at 9:30 a.m.

Participants will meet at the Wolcott “Keeper’s House,” located at 9999 E. Bayshore Rd, at 9:30 a.m. Parking is available behind the annex and is accessible from the one-way gravel road off Bayshore Road. Because there is limited parking at Johnson’s Island, there will be a shuttle to Johnson’s Island Confederate Cemetery from the Wolcott “Keeper’s House” starting at 11 a.m.

We’ll start the day with a docent-led tour of the Wolcott “Keeper’s House.” Learn about the history of this structure, which was home to the first three Marblehead Lighthouse keepers. The house was built in the early 1800s by William Kelly for Benajah Wolcott and his wife Rachel, early Danbury Peninsula settlers and the first two lighthouse keepers. The house is an excellent example of early domestic architecture in the Firelands.

At Johnson’s Island Confederate Cemetery, we’ll experience one of the most historically interesting aspects of the island. In the fall of 1861, the U.S. Army leased 40 cleared acres of the island from Johnson to establish a Prisoner of War Depot.

The depot was in operation from April 1862 to September 1865. During the 40 months of its existence, approximately 10,000 men were processed into the stockade on Johnson’s Island. Most were Confederate officers. Twenty-six were either generals or officers who became generals during or after their imprisonment. Others confined there were a small number of privates, bushwhackers, guerrillas and citizens suspected of disloyalty to the Union.

The Johnson’s Island Civil War Military Prison Site is a National Historic Landmark (since 1990), which is owned, preserved and maintained by the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization Friends and Descendants of Johnson’s Island Civil War Prison (FDJI).

For your convenience you can also elect to tour the Keeper’s House after returning from Johnson’s Island at 12:45 p.m.

Please be advised, this is a walking tour on a variety of surfaces, some of which are uneven.  Please wear appropriate footwear.

Registration
The field trip to the Wolcott “Keepers House” and Johnsons Island is $15/person (ages 7+). REGISTER NOW!