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Lone Jack Historical Society held its annual commemoration of the Battle of Lone Jack
Photo:
Mark Armato reenacted the life of Jesse James at the Commemoration of the Battle of Lone Jack
On August 14, 2010, the Lone Jack Historical Society held its annual commemoration of the Battle of Lone Jack. The event was a huge success. The day’s festivities began with a pancake breakfast put on by the Boy Scouts, followed by a parade. There were craft and informational booths, homemade pies, snow cones and some great barbeque. Ceremonies included an Order #11 skit, community awards and the introduction of the Board of Aldermen. The 13th Kansas Infantry Re-enactors performed a drill. Special awards were given to the oldest veteran and active duty personnel presented by “Rooster Cogburn.”
One of the outstanding performances of the day was the reenactment of Jesse James by Mark Armato. Armato is a history teacher who has won many awards for his creative reenactments. It is folks like Armato who bring historical characters to life. Not everybody has the talent to do this. You have to submerge yourself in the life of your subject and be able to answer detailed questions about the life of the person whose life you are reenacting. Armato won an award for best performance as Jesse James at the Grand National Gunfighter and Living History Championship. He established a business, Historical Presentations, and has given performances all across the country. Carol Garrison, from the Lone Jack Historical Society, arranged for Armato to perform at the commemoration. It was fascinating. I was riveted by the performance. Lots of folks think of the bad deeds of the Youngers and the James brothers without wondering how and why they did what they did. Armato summed it up in just a few words. He said “They were boys at the beginning of the war.”
The Kansas and Missouri Border was alive with violence. Families lost loved ones and were burned out of their homes. Imagine the suffering of having to leave their homes and lose their possessions. No matter how many times I read and write about those times I still get goose bumps thinking about the horror of those days. I feel heartsick for the women whose young boys went off to war never to return. I read recently when William B. Howard, the founder of our city, was exiled to Kentucky, he felt like a refugee. If you think about those times in those terms, you can get a sense of what was going on. Armato said “The Civil War was a war of extermination and unspeakable atrocities on both sides of the border.” The spirits of those who suffered during those days seem to cry out to those of us who have the passion for studying and preserving the stories, sites and artifacts of those days.
Both the Lone Jack Museum and the Lee’s Summit Historical Society Museum are able to tell these stories and share their knowledge. Your support for both organizations is needed. The Lone Jack Historical Society is still trying to save the last vestige of the battlefield and the Lee’s Summit Historical Society is researching and collecting stories about Lee’s Summit citizens who fought during the Border War and Civil War. For more information on the Lone Jack Museum, go to www.historicallonejack.org. The Lee’s Summit Historical Society and Museum can be contacted at derbyshirelane@prodigy.net or visit www.leessummithistory.net. Support your local history.
Mark Armato can be contacted at: mark.armato@historicalpresentations.com 816-734-1745
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