Upcoming Events

Welcome to BAAC

The Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign of Weston  

Dr. Ann Raab 

Summer Sundays Speaker Series
 

Please join us at the United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall 533 Main Street in Weston from 12:30 to 2:30 on Sunday, September 24th for our last Summer Sundays Speaker Series presentation of 2023,

 

Dr. Ann Raab will be sharing the history of the Skirmish at Island Mound, the first engagement of African American soldiers in the Civil War. 

 

While many people are familiar with the historical significance of the Massachusetts 54th, as depicted in the movie “Glory,” few people are aware that the very first engagement of African American soldiers in the Civil War occurred on Missouri soil, not far from Butler in Bates County.

 

As an archaeologist, Dr. Raab will cover the historical context of the Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site, one of Missouri’s newest state historic sites, commemorating this momentous event in our country’s history. Much of what is known about this event comes from military records of the time, or oral histories. Dr. Raab will share her experience working on the archaeological piece of this fascinating puzzle, as well as the social and cultural considerations of properly memorializing this moment in time.