On her own with a newborn baby and her husband fighting for the Union in the Civil War, a young woman is left to letter writing and the hope of her husband's survival.
"The only way they can speak and communicate is through letters and so you kind of get to see into their lives of the pain and the hope of waiting for him to come back home," said Lori Nierzwick, a theater specialist who acts out the character in "With Love, From Home" at Minnetrista.
"With Love, From Home," is a part of the Minnetrista exhibit Away From Home: Civil War Letters, a walkthrough that includes approximately 400 letters. In addition to the letters, it has soldier and officer tents, items such as hats, guns, uniforms and a small saw that was used for amputations. The items help add to the information in the letters.
"We have these letters that kind of illustrate what the life of the soldier in the war was like both at home from the parents' perspective and the son's perspective in the war," Steven Beverly, marketing manager at Minnetrista, said.
These letters were important for both the soldiers and their families at home as many didn't know where their loved ones were in the country or if they were even alive.
"It's truly that confirmation to them that there is someone at home that is making it worth it for them," said Debra Shepler, a member of Minnetrista who visited the exhibit Sunday.
Nierzwick's performance puts the emotions written in the letters into perspective. The display is personal to Muncie. Nierzwick reads excerpts from the actual letters of two Muncie soldiers, Thomas Brady and John W. Shewalter.
"I think it's very neat that Minnetrista can share this story because it's local and it's something people can relate to because it's not just any story of a Union solider, but it's about soldiers who lived in Muncie and whose families were here just like we are," she said.
The letters show the difference in the two men's background. The war drafted men from all walks of life to fight for both sides.
"Tom Brady's dad was the mayor of Muncie and he had very proper grammar whereas John Shewalter was more of a common man, a farmer who had grammatical errors and a lot of misspellings," Nierzwick said. "Just being able to see the true life and the true essence of both of the men in the letters is very interesting."
The letters from Shewalter are from the collection of the Marion County Historical Society, adding to Minnetrista's own Brady letters.
With the opening weekend of Nierzwick's performance, members of the public viewed her act, understanding the Civil War from a different perspective.
"She did such a great job of portraying what I could imagine being the feelings and emotions of a woman in that position," Shepler said. "As a mother myself and thinking about having this baby that he has not yet even met is just heart wrenching and [so is] not knowing if he's ever coming back home."
The role of women in the Civil War was essential to aiding in the spirits of the men who were fighting hundreds of miles away.
"What I've learned is just how essential it was for women to do their part even though they didn't think they were doing anything meaningful," Shepler said. "Holding the fort and keeping things safe and moving forward for their family was so important."
Away From Home: Civil War Letters is an original exhibit and is only displayed at the cultural center. Beverly encouraged the public to attend the exhibit as it is very interactive. Some of the letters are read out loud, giving the letters a different feel for people.
"I think this is a good way to be introduced to the Civil War if you're not familiar with it," Beverly said. "It's also a way to experience how people from the Civil War might have felt, particularly these two letter writers."
The personal touch of this exhibit created by Minnetrista is important to the Muncie community.
"We created the exhibit based on what we have in our collection and thought this particular collection of letters really helped people to see what people experienced at home and the soldiers experienced away," Beverly said.
Nierzwick said she hopes people can connect the past with the present day as people still write letters to loved ones who are in war.
"I hope that people can connect it to today and see that this is still on going and there are still families dealing with this every day," she said. "Even though this took place in the 1800s, there are so many emotions that families still deal with."
Away From Home: Civil War Letters
Where: Minnetrista
When: Now through Oct. 28
Times: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $5 for non-members; free for members and kids 3 and under
"With Love, From Home" performance times
11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
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