STATE COLLEGE — The Central PA Civil War Round Table will meet on Tuesday, April 5, at the PA Military Museum auditorium, 51 Boal Ave., in Boalsburg beginning at 7 p.m.
The featured speaker is Sam Washburn, who will speak on “The Role of the U. S. Coast Survey.” Washburn’s presentation will focus on the formation of the Coast Survey during the Jefferson Administration, the map-making training of both army and naval officers during the 1830s, and the eventual and dominant usage of professional topographical engineers during the Civil War and beyond.
The U. S. Coast Mapping Detachment produced more than 60,000 maps of the areas being defended or subject to the restoration of federal authority. Washburn will bring modern samples of period tools, inks, and maps produced from the National Archives and Library of Congress archival manuscript maps.
Washburn is retired from a career in the U. S. Navy [Lieutenant Commander] and as a college professor at Brigham Young University, the U. S. Naval Academy, Trident Technical College, and the College of Charleston. His background in mapping stems from his education as a Geographer and cartographer dating back to the 1970s.
One hundred fifty five years ago, events in the United States were turbulent, uncertain, nationalistic, and full of terror.
Anyone who is interested in joining the Central PA Civil War Round Table is invited to attend.
For more information, contact Central PA CWRT President, Lynn Herman, at 814-861-0770.
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