In October 1995, the Stillwater Civil War Roundtable (SCWRT) came into existence as a result of the passion of two individuals interested in the American Civil War. Dr. David Hayes and Dr. Warren Kaebnick met with Greg and Karen Biggs, representing a loose association of Ohio Civil War Roundtables. This meeting took place at the Church of the Brethren in West Milton, Ohio. From this humble beginning, residents of the surrounding area began to join this circle of Civil War enthusiasts such as Jack Reddy, Roxanne Hemmelgarn, Wilma West, Edd Sharp, William Lott and Pete Stamas, just to name a few. The first President of the SCWRT was Dr. Hayes, and the first Vice-President was Paul Hawk.
The first newsletter was published in January of the next year. Meetings were moved to the Honda Motor Corp. offices board room in 1996. In May 1997 the first annual dinner of the Roundtable was started and continues to this day. One of the most vital members of the roundtable in its first decade was Norman Stickel. Not only did Norm contribute substantially to recruiting new members, but he also skillfully managed the roundtable newsletter and the yearly dinner meetings.
Monthly meetings are now held at the historic Hayner Cultural Center (301 W. Main St) in downtown Troy, Ohio, from September thru May each year, on the third Tuesday of the month, at 7 PM.
The Stillwater Civil War Roundtable group has a robust membership and attendance is often augmented during the school year by a number of local high school students, including the Tippecanoe High School Advanced Placement American History class of Joe Bellas.
Monthly speakers have ranged from Lincoln impersonators, clothing makers of the period, professors, lecturers, authors, musicians, genealogists and local experts on this important era of American History.
Several of our members of the Roundtable have made numerous presentations to our group. Topics have ranged from military campaigns, actions and local volunteer units, to presentations which dealt with the history of family member(s) who were partially or principally involved in a war effort or battle.
The Roundtable is very active in supporting efforts to preserve historic locations and battlefields through the Civil War Preservation Trust and Johnson's Island, to name just a few.
Some of our members are active in various forms of collecting civil war memorabilia. A number of them are participating members in various organizations, such as, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans and Ohio Civil War Trails Commission. Our past-president is a soldier in the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, Company B reenactment group.
The mission of the SCWRT is promoting and enhancing the knowledge, education, preservation of historically significant lands and facilities and the historical significance of this tragic event in our Nation’s history.
