WINDHAM – A first for Windham, the re-enactors will move in for the Summerfest weekend.

A Civil War encampment, a first for the town that sent many soldiers to the war between the states, promises to be an unusual treat for Windham Summerfest-goers next weekend.

The encampment takes place on the Village Green behind the Windham Historical Society’s headquarters on Windham Center Road, and within short walking distance of the Windham High School complex where Summerfest takes place Saturday.

About 30-40 Civil War re-enactors from Company A, 3rd Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry will be camped out all day Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24.

Starting at noon on Saturday, the re-enactors will perform infantry drills, musket firing and skirmishes. While the viewing should be entertaining, the re-enactors will also be available to answer any questions from the public.

“We want to make sure when folks come to visit, that they’re not shy to come talk to us and ask questions,” says Dave Gowen, a partner at North Windham accounting firm Gowen, Turgeon and Lutje and a member of the Maine 3rd for the last 18 years. “The unit’s been doing this a long time, and especially when we go to towns like Windham, which has never had one of these before, people tend to instinctively not get too close, but the more engagement the better as far as we’re concerned.”

Gowen says the event should be a memorable one. Re-enactors, including doctors, cooks, officers and soldiers, will stay in character for the weekend, eating what Civil War soldiers would have eaten, pitching and sleeping overnight in floor-less canvas tents, and, in general, setting up their camp as it would have looked in June 1861, when the 3rd Maine went off to battle.

Gowen, a Westbrook native whose Windham ancestor, Daniel Cobb, fought in the Civil War, is looking forward to next weekend’s event.

“It’s special to come to Windham,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting. My worlds will cross. We’ve not been avoiding Windham, it’s just that nobody’s ever invited us. We go by invitation. I’ve camped and marched in half the towns in Maine but never Windham.”

The Maine 3rd, Gowen said, was in service for a three-year tour starting in 1861. It saw many major battles, and of the 1,500 men who cycled through, 300 lost their lives. Gowen said Maine sent 32 infantry regiments in total, with its most famous being the 20th, with Joshua Chamberlain at the helm.

“They numbered them sequentially, so the 3rd Maine was the third regiment formed and mustered into service in June of 1861, almost exactly 151 years ago,” Gowen said.

Gowen said the 3rd Maine will attend the battle re-enactments of Shiloh and Antietam later this year as part of 150th Civil War anniversary. The Windham event will be a “maximum effort,” with many re-enactors attending. It came about after one of the women involved with the Maine 3rd, Carolyn Lawson, got to know Windham Historical Society member Linda Griffin during a presentation on women’s fashion in the Civil War period, held last year.

Griffin is thrilled about the event and says the Windham Historical Society hopes the re-enactment will not only be entertaining, but will also teach Windham residents about Civil War history.

“It’s educational, and it’s a great thing for families to go to because you get immersed in the 1860s, so they will talk to you about life the way it was,” said Griffin, who is organizing the event along with fellow society member David Tanguay.

In addition to providing “a living history” that whole families can get involved with, Griffin said, part of the event’s purpose is to “bring visibility to the Village Green, so we’ll have a table and brochures, and will tell people of our future plans.”

The concept plan for the Village Green, located behind the headquarters near the intersection of Route 202 and Windham Center Road, is going through Planning Board review. If approved, it would be where important Windham structures could be moved for preservation and tours.

The “green” is a massive lawn right now that is deliberately being left long to mimic Civil War battlefield conditions.

While the historical society will provide portable bathrooms and water, everything else will be provided by the re-enactors.

“I’ve seen them at other events and it’s awesome,” Griffin said. “They have a program almost every hour, so some people will come to see one of those programs, such as a demonstration of battlefield medicine or women’s dress, while some others will come for the whole two days. Once they buy their ticket, it’s good for two days.”

Tickets are $15 per person, with children under 12 admitted for free. A family of three or more is $15. Proceeds will defray the $500 to bring the Maine 3rd to Windham, most of which goes to pay for insurance for the group. All other proceeds will go to the creation of the Village Green, Griffin said.

Company A of the 3rd Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry re-enactment group, which has been around for 30 years, formed in Bath, where the 3rd Maine recruited during the Civil War. The 60-member re-enactment group usually attends 10 events a year, recreating the feel of a Civil War-era battlefield encampment wherever they go.   

WINDHAM – A first for Windham, the re-enactors will move in for the Summerfest weekend.

A Civil War encampment, a first for the town that sent many soldiers to the war between the states, promises to be an unusual treat for Windham Summerfest-goers next weekend.

The encampment takes place on the Village Green behind the Windham Historical Society’s headquarters on Windham Center Road, and within short walking distance of the Windham High School complex where Summerfest takes place Saturday.

About 30-40 Civil War re-enactors from Company A, 3rd Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry will be camped out all day Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24.

Starting at noon on Saturday, the re-enactors will perform infantry drills, musket firing and skirmishes. While the viewing should be entertaining, the re-enactors will also be available to answer any questions from the public.

“We want to make sure when folks come to visit, that they’re not shy to come talk to us and ask questions,” says Dave Gowen, a partner at North Windham accounting firm Gowen, Turgeon and Lutje and a member of the Maine 3rd for the last 18 years. “The unit’s been doing this a long time, and especially when we go to towns like Windham, which has never had one of these before, people tend to instinctively not get too close, but the more engagement the better as far as we’re concerned.”

Gowen says the event should be a memorable one. Re-enactors, including doctors, cooks, officers and soldiers, will stay in character for the weekend, eating what Civil War soldiers would have eaten, pitching and sleeping overnight in floor-less canvas tents, and, in general, setting up their camp as it would have looked in June 1861, when the 3rd Maine went off to battle.

Gowen, a Westbrook native whose Windham ancestor, Daniel Cobb, fought in the Civil War, is looking forward to next weekend’s event.

“It’s special to come to Windham,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting. My worlds will cross. We’ve not been avoiding Windham, it’s just that nobody’s ever invited us. We go by invitation. I’ve camped and marched in half the towns in Maine but never Windham.”

The Maine 3rd, Gowen said, was in service for a three-year tour starting in 1861. It saw many major battles, and of the 1,500 men who cycled through, 300 lost their lives. Gowen said Maine sent 32 infantry regiments in total, with its most famous being the 20th, with Joshua Chamberlain at the helm.

“They numbered them sequentially, so the 3rd Maine was the third regiment formed and mustered into service in June of 1861, almost exactly 151 years ago,” Gowen said.

Gowen said the 3rd Maine will attend the battle re-enactments of Shiloh and Antietam later this year as part of 150th Civil War anniversary. The Windham event will be a “maximum effort,” with many re-enactors attending. It came about after one of the women involved with the Maine 3rd, Carolyn Lawson, got to know Windham Historical Society member Linda Griffin during a presentation on women’s fashion in the Civil War period, held last year.

Griffin is thrilled about the event and says the Windham Historical Society hopes the re-enactment will not only be entertaining, but will also teach Windham residents about Civil War history.

“It’s educational, and it’s a great thing for families to go to because you get immersed in the 1860s, so they will talk to you about life the way it was,” said Griffin, who is organizing the event along with fellow society member David Tanguay.

In addition to providing “a living history” that whole families can get involved with, Griffin said, part of the event’s purpose is to “bring visibility to the Village Green, so we’ll have a table and brochures, and will tell people of our future plans.”

The concept plan for the Village Green, located behind the headquarters near the intersection of Route 202 and Windham Center Road, is going through Planning Board review. If approved, it would be where important Windham structures could be moved for preservation and tours.

The “green” is a massive lawn right now that is deliberately being left long to mimic Civil War battlefield conditions.

While the historical society will provide portable bathrooms and water, everything else will be provided by the re-enactors.

“I’ve seen them at other events and it’s awesome,” Griffin said. “They have a program almost every hour, so some people will come to see one of those programs, such as a demonstration of battlefield medicine or women’s dress, while some others will come for the whole two days. Once they buy their ticket, it’s good for two days.”

Tickets are $15 per person, with children under 12 admitted for free. A family of three or more is $15. Proceeds will defray the $500 to bring the Maine 3rd to Windham, most of which goes to pay for insurance for the group. All other proceeds will go to the creation of the Village Green, Griffin said.

Company A of the 3rd Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry re-enactment group, which has been around for 30 years, formed in Bath, where the 3rd Maine recruited during the Civil War. The 60-member re-enactment group usually attends 10 events a year, recreating the feel of a Civil War-era battlefield encampment wherever they go.