In the summer of 2010, retired Walsh Middle school English teacher began to transcribe letters from Framingham's Civil War soldiers. She wrote in her now published book My Dear Esty: Letters from Framingham’s Civil War Soldiers, she thought it would be an "easy" project. It wasn't as easy as she thought. She was hindered by spelling and the handwriting of the 1860s, specifically mentioning the "fanciful script of the time period was filled with loops, curls and swirls." But a year, later she published the book which includes transcriptions of 16 letters written by Framingham soldiers to …

Attendees to the Civil War Encampment site Saturday can meet with Abraham Lincoln, have a photo taken and strike up a conversation. The entire weekend is sponsored by the Framingham History Center, with support from Framingham Co-operative Bank. At 10:30 a.m., the actor portraying President Lincoln will do a review of the Troops at the encampment site on the Framingham Centre Common. The encampment will be open to the public Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Set up will take place Friday night from 4-9. The encampment is free. Other activities may require the purchase…

John Harvard's Brew House is brewing and selling an ale in honor of Framingham's Civil War General. General Gordon's Nut Brown Ale will be brewed and sold at John Harvard's Brew House until May 31. For each pint sold, the Shoppers World establishment will donate $1 to the Framingham History Center. The Framingham History Center is celebrating the life of the Framingham general as it continues its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Center will host a Living History Encampment on the Centre Common the weekend of May 4-6. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to …

Storyteller and folk musician Bill Wellington presents Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the Book that Destroyed Slavery in America at the Edgell Memorial Library. The 7 p.m. event is sponsored by the Framingham History Center as part of its Civil War encampment weekend. The public is invited to take another look at Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel about the life and death of a slave in America through the lens of historical songs and multimedia show inspired by the book. Harriet Beecher Stowe's best known novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, changed forever how Americans viewed slavery, the system that treated …

A small group of women at the Callahan Senior Center knitted 2,000 helmet liners for soliders. Framingham Veteran Agent Peter Harvell collected the knitted caps and got them oversees to soliders. In December, one solider sent a postcard to the Senior Center to thank the ladies - described by Harvell as a modern-day Ladies Auxiliary - for their efforts. Senior Center Director Grace O’Donnell, who was hired as the town's director of Elder Affairs earlier this year, presented the postcard to Framingham History Center Executive Director Anne Murphy. The postcard will become a part of the Center's…

Next weekend, the Framingham History Center will take residents and visitors to Framingham back in time to the Civil War. Confederate and Union soldiers plan to camp out on Framingham Centre Common, May 4-6, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Framingham began its retrospective of the Civil War and Framingham's role in more than a year ago. It was at 4:30 a.m. on April 12 in 1861 that the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina to start the battle between North and South. To commemorate that date, Framingham Boy Scout Pack 12 leader Rick …