9/8/2011
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. –“If Trees Could Talk” is the title on the card that accompanies a slice of history from Carnifex Ferry. Superintendent Sam Cowell and park staff wanted something memorable to serve as the 150th commemorative souvenir for the re-enactment of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry. “It needed to be made in the U.S.A. and it had to relate to the battle,” Cowell said.
Cowell created the souvenir by slicing ‘cookies’ from limbs of oak trees that have fallen. “The trees were here when the battle occurred,” he said.
A commemorative design was created by Andrew Stout, graphics designer with the Marketing and Communications Section of West Virginia Department of Commerce. Two designs were cast into branding heads and used in conjunction with a branding iron. Cowell insisted that the branding iron to be an American product and located a manufacturer in Michigan. Cowell and staff branded both sides of approximately 1,000 tree cookies. The attached card reads: “This slice of history has been cut from the branch of a fallen oak tree from the battlefield. The tree has been aged to approximately 160 years old. If trees could talk you would hear a first-hand account of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry and how bravely men fought for their beliefs.”
Individuals registered as re-enactors for the events scheduled Sept. 10 and 11, 2011 will each receive this token of appreciation for their dedication and preservation of history. Individuals attending the re-enactment weekend may purchase the souvenir for $2 to help offset event expenses. The packet contains the ‘slice of history’, a park brochure and other state park information.
To learn more about Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park and the Battle of Carnifex Ferry, which took place Sept. 10, 1861, visit
http://www.carnifexferrybattlefieldstatepark.com/.
Contact Information
Sam Cowell, Park Superintendent, Carnifex Ferry Battle State Park
carnifexferrysp@wv.gov