Special to 1808Delaware
The locally produced musical production, Camp Delaware, continues its film tour following a screening in February at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus.
Camp Delaware was created as a live stage production by Delaware residents Francine and Mark Butler. In 2024, the Butlers produced a film version. Camp Delaware tells the history of the Civil War-era training camp in Delaware, where African Americans trained to fight for the Union, and of the life of Black soldiers heading to war. The camp was located near Olentangy Avenue and the Olentangy River, from 1862 to the end of the war. The production blends historical storytelling and original music, creating an emotional and educational experience that connects the past with the present.
The City of Delaware was proud to provide the production team with the use of the Camp Delaware Conference Room at City Hall for filming.
“We’re thrilled to bring this unique and important part of Delaware and Ohio history to communities across the state,” Mark Butler said.
Upcoming screenings include Saturday, March 29, from 8:45 – 10 am in the Hamilton Williams Campus Center at Ohio Wesleyan University as part of the Melvin Van Peebles Symposium, and a possible return to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in the fall.
Proceeds from both the stage and film productions will benefit the local Community Arts Network scholarships for African American high school graduates pursuing performing arts degrees. See more at https://communityartsnetworkoh.org/camp-delaware/
Photo: The Butlers, Walsh University associate history professor Kelly Mezurek and videographer Zane Soliday during 2024 filming in the City Hall Camp Delaware Conference Room. The mural is of a photo taken in 1863 of Black soldiers in formation on Sandusky Street.
Source, Photo: City of Delaware
