The dedication of a Civil War monument was a very big deal in the Canton, Conn., village of Collinsville on Memorial Day 1903. Thousands of people, many dressed in their Sunday best, gathered for speeches at the large, white-washed Congregational Church impressively decorated with massive, patriotic bunting. Afterward, the crowd that included many Civil War veterans walked a short distance up a steep hill for the dedication of a monument to honor 39 area Union soldiers whose bodies were believed to be buried in unknown graves in the South.
An unknown photographer captured the scene that day, taking images at the church and cemetery as well as a photo of the flag-draped memorial before it was unveiled. On a frigid Monday afternoon, I aimed to replicate the long-ago photographer's work, shooting images with an iPhone 6 instead of a cumbersome glass-plate camera. The 1903 shooter probably shot the cemetery crowd image (bottom) from the second floor of the house across the street or from another elevated position, so I was unable to duplicate that effort.
Be sure to check out my other Then & Now Civil War images, also created using the excellent, free Juxtapose tool.
(Note: The glass-plate images are courtesy of Clifford T. Alderman. Images were scanned by Peg Giles.)
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