The Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table welcomes Ben Bever with his presentation entitled "If this Desirable Station could talk". The talk will focus on Civil War stories from soldiers that served at Fort Mackinac. Attendees will be surprised to hear and learn about the numerous soldiers that served at Fort Mackinac that were also involved in some of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the war.
Ben completed a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education & History at WMU in 2004 and a master’s degree in educational leadership for WMU in 2009. During college and in his early career as a teacher Ben worked as a seasonal Historic Interpreter with the Mackinac State Historic Parks at Fort Mackinac for 7 summers. Ben was a middle school History Teacher for 10 years, a middle school Assistant Principal for 5 years and is currently the Assistant Principal at the Allegan Tech Center for the past 5 years. Ben’s interest in the American Civil War grew out of watching Hollywood movies and reading Civil War books at his school library. Ben has fond memories of watching the Blue & Gray miniseries on a 19” Black & White TV in the mid-1980s. Ben pestered his mom at a Meijer grocery store in 1988 to purchase a VHS tape called “The Last Full Measure”, which was about Gettysburg. In 1989 Ben made his first trip to Gettysburg and has been hooked on anything and everything related to The Civil War. Ben started dragging his parents to Civil War reenactments in 1990 and always wanted to be a reenactor! Ben has been a Civil War reenactor since 2009. He is an active collector of Civil War artifacts with a focus on medical instruments and prosthetics. Ben has had the opportunity to do presentations at historical societies, roundtables, reenactments, Fort Wilkins, Fort Mackinac, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Appomattox Courthouse. Ben spends his time attending reenactments, Civil War Battlefields, historic sites, museums, volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America and working on his family’s Dairy Farm.
Membership fees for the 2024-2025 season are $30.00.
Checks can be made out to GRCWRT.
Get your membership/renewal form on our website
membership page or at one of our meetings.
Dues are based on the meeting year, September - June.
We are always looking for new speakers. If you would like to give a presentation to the GRCWRT, or can recommend someone, please contact our program director.
General George McClellan began his Peninsular Campaign on March 17, 1862. He shipped troops and supplies from the Union Army of the Potomac to the tip of the York-James peninsula in Virginia. They began their fight west toward the Confederate capital. The campaign progressed until the week of June 26, when Lee eventually defeated a retreating McClellan during the Seven Days battle around Richmond.
Wednesday
April 16, 2025
Ben Bever
If This Desirable Station Could Talk
We Meet At:
Orchard View Church of God
2777 Leffingwell Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Located at the southwest corner of
3 Mile Road NE and Leffingwell Avenue NE
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Program begins at 7:00 pm
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