The Southern Lancaster Couny Historical Society, 1932 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville, will host the 2023 Living History Encampment on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 19, 20 and 21. On Friday, the event will be open from noon to 4 p.m.; on Saturday, demonstrations will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and on Sunday, activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission for the encampment will be free, and parking will be available for a small fee per vehicle. Tours of the Robert Fulton Birthplace Museum will also be offered for a small charge. The three-day event will feature tours of the camp, conversations with Civil War re-enactors, book signings from historical authors, antique collection displays and Civil War-era replica weapon demonstrations. Food will be available to purchase from Old Iron Grille.

This year, the event will introduce a program for homeschoolers on Friday as the encampment is set up. From 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants will have opportunities to learn about Civil War-era medicine, converse with actors playing the roles of both Union and Confederate soldiers and see demonstrations from a blacksmith. Registration is not required, but the program is structured to provide an educational outing for homeschooled students. Students will rotate through six informational stations and conclude the day with an artillery demonstration.

On Saturday, attendees will be able to meet actors playing President Abraham Lincoln and the first family, who will answer questions about their lives and the Civil War. Actors playing prominent generals from the war will also be available to offer insight on the details of the conflict. At 1 p.m., a battle re-enactment between Union and Confederate soldiers will be held.

Participants will have another opportunity to meet the president, first family and generals on Sunday. A battle re-enactment will take place at noon, followed by a Sunday service at 1:15 p.m.

The encampment will be divided into two parts: the living history encampment on the upper lawn behind the museum and the military encampment on the lower side of the property. The living history encampment will include presentations from historical fiction author Joel Moore and Civil War historian Bruce Mowday. Moore will cover biographical information on historical figures, display photographs from the war and offer book signings. Mowday's presentation will detail the events of the Battle of Gettysburg.

"We are our history. It's important to learn from the past to understand the present and try to mold our future," Moore said. "At the encampment, you get to live history and walk through a time-warp to another era, so to speak."

For more information, visit http://www.southernlancasterhistory.org.