Local Historian Talks Civil War History at the Museum
Curtis Kyer, local historian and captain at the Cumberland Trail Fire District, will present information on Colonel James Charlesworth at the Victorian Mansion Museum in Barnesville this week.
The free public event will be at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, at the Museum located at the corner of N. Chestnut Street and Walton Avenue.
According to the Museum’s Facebook page, Charlesworth was a prominent St. Clairsville resident who held multiple positions and belonged to several fraternal organizations, including the Grand Army of the Republic.
Kyer said his talk will focus on Charlesworth’s military career and his role in organizing the local militia to defend against General John Hunt Morgan’s 1863 raid into Belmont County.
Charlesworth’s sword and other artifacts now reside in the Belmont County Heritage Museum in St. Clairsville. “I am also excited to say that in the past year there has been another rediscovery associated with Col. Charlesworth,” Kyer said. “It has been hiding in plain sight for an unknown number of years and is another very important piece of Belmont County Civil War History.”
Museum board member Brock Rogers said Ohio was crucial to the Union during the Civil War and wanted Kyer to come and discuss the topic. He added that Ohio provided more Union generals than any other state and a number of Underground Railroad stops were here, but almost no battles were fought here.
“The only exception to that was Morgan’s Raid, and there was a lot of panic in communities, including ones in this area, as General Morgan moved farther and farther along,” Rogers said. “Many communities relied on local militia to defend against him, and locally Colonel Charlesworth was a big part of that defense.”
More information can be found at belmontcountymuseum.com.
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