This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the October 14, 2010 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            The celebration that we were fortunate enough to see and participate in this first weekend in October was spectacular!  The Ivy Point Civil War reenactment at the Gardner Farm was a great success. The reenactors started coming in on Friday evening and set up camp down at the lower part of the field with a valley in between two low hills.  It was a great place for a reenactment.

            The evening turned cool and was a perfect time for chili, peanut butter and syrup sandwiches along with crackers and milk.  Thanks to the Senior Citizens for a great meal!

We had all worked hard to have everything set up.  The home-twenty gang was all at the North Magoffin School to help Phyllis Lovely and her staff decorate the gym and grounds outside where the much anticipated ball was to be held.  Thanks to Principal Jill Howard and her staff along with the Magoffin County Board of Education for this opportunity.  Marty Connelley provided the straw we used for decorations.

On Saturday morning the reenactors woke to a very cool morning.   Things soon warmed up though when a superb breakfast was served cooked up by Burnis and Barbara Patrick along with the Kiwanis Club.  Thanks a bunch!  Burnis is a pretty good cook! (SMILE)

The camp opened at 10 a.m. and the reenactment started at 12 noon sharp.  The Muzzleloaders joined in with the Confederate and Union soldiers for a wonderful living history exhibition.  Dr. Hardin and Old Todd got to be a part of all of this activity.  The preacher got shot so Doc and I went out to console our comrades.  The only casualty was when Old Todd knelt down to take care of a fallen comrade during the skirmish and became a casualty himself.  Now, folks, before you send out get well cards, I’m back in tip top shape what with all the canes, heat packs and ice packs bestowed on me.

The Ladies Tea and Men’s Brunch was also hosted by Burnis and Barbara Patrick along with the Gardner Family, Jack Cook, Sarah Dunn and Marsha Arnett who made homemade tea cakes from a recipe handed down in the family for several generations. Talk about good!  They were all eaten up! The sweet tea was so good the Commander from Indiana kept coming back for seconds, thirds, etc.

The tea and brunch was held in the spacious setting of the lawn of the historic Gardner home and was an amazing experience for all who attended.  Many spoke of what a splendid opportunity it was to be able to take part in the tea.  The tables were decorated with a fall theme, the beauty of the setting, the wonderful food and the camaraderie among those attending was perfect.

A sound system was set up by Dave Kretzer and our own Lori Sizemore took the “stage” (the front porch of the Gardner Mansion) along with David LaFountain then Nicole Culbertson came and sang for us.  We enjoyed it all very much.

At 1 p.m. the True Gospel Echoes with Hershell Wright took the stage for a wonderful show. More great music came from C. J. Jarrell and Kentucky Rain who performed at 3 p.m. followed at 4 p.m. by Dave Carroll and the New River Line. They sang the much anticipated song, Me and My Brother Paul.  This is a Civil War song that you need to hear!

We next started to get ready for the Dance at the North Magoffin School.  Before we left we had another great meal as A. B. Conley and Bill Dodd May had cooked up soup beans and tater wedges.  These were great along with the corn bread and onions the ladies had brought in.

The Civil War Ball was a terrific success. Everyone enjoyed the music provided by the Joseph Family, along with Phillip and Joyce Joseph taking the lead. And what would we do without Wendell Hoskins?  Thanks, Wendell for serving as a great Master of Ceremonies!

A spectacular fireworks show followed the ball. We thank the Sesquicentennial Committee along with the Salyersville Fire Department for this great show! It made for a fitting end of the ball.

It was another cool morning when we awoke on Sunday.  Everyone said it wasn’t as cold as the night before but just wait awhile.  Again the reenactors were fed by Burnis and Barbara and their crew. The pots and pans were all wiped up clean!  The reenactors built up fires in their camp and stood around, drinking coffee and telling tall tales.  The reenactors were trying to out tell those by the Magoffin County Muzzleloaders.  A good crowd had assembled by the time the True Gospel Echoes took the stage at 1 p.m.  It was getting cooler by the minute.  A couple of the Echoes were AWOL and Brian Russell joked they were now the “New Gospel Echoes” Brian, along with Ralph Cole and Doug Russell put on a great show. They invited Lori Sizemore to sing along with them. We were all enjoying the music and trying to stay warm when we heard the cannons start to BOOM!  We moved over to the battlefield area and watched another amazing reenactment.  The True Gospel Echoes stayed to watch the reenactment so we got to enjoy their music a while longer.

Chaplain William McKiven brought a wonderful church service to us with the Culbertson family providing the singing.  Thanks, Jennifer, Nicole and Jessica for the beautiful music.

Chaplin McKiven ended the church service just as a misty rain came along with some very cool breezes.

After the sermon we went to the Gardner Cemetery where a monument was unveiled and dedicated in memory of the several hundred graves that have been determined to be on the grounds, some thought to have been Civil War soldiers.

By this time we were all getting a little hungry and here came turkey dinners with all the trimmings which were served on the back porch of the Gardner mansion.

We are all grateful to Ben and Ruth Gardner for the use of their farm with the tidy yards and porches of the old home place.  No other setting could have been better for this whole event.

We have much appreciation for the help of many people who helped bring this event to fruition.  It takes all of us to make an event like this a success.  We are grateful to all those who came out to watch. Several came up to say “thanks” and “I want to help next year!”  The crowd was very orderly and made sure no trash was left behind. This event was for every citizen of our county as this is our county’s 150^th birthday. If we tried to name people who helped we surely would leave out some who were very important to this event so we thank you all! This event was sponsored by the Sesquicentennial Committee, the Magoffin County Muzzleloaders and the Magoffin County Historical Society and hosted by the Gardner family. 

           The Committee is planning some more great events.  Check these out and try to attend because our birthday year is winding down.  Soon we will be 151 years old!