A Schuylkill Haven native will celebrate some of the county's Civil War history with a special display he's planning to set up at a library in Washington state.
James R. Long, 69, retired and living in Bremerton, Wash., will honor Schuylkill County's Nicholas Biddle, who be-came known as the first person to shed blood in the Civil War. He's planning to showcase a replica of the kind of uniform Biddle wore in vintage photographs.
"I want it to look so close to the original that if we went back in time, the people back then wouldn't even know the difference," Long said Monday.
Long will unveil the display in February, which is Black History Month, at Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton, Wash.
Long graduated from Schuylkill Haven High School in 1961. In 1976, he received a bachelor's degree in history from Chaminade University, Hawaii. He served in the Navy for 21 years and retired from the Navy in 1983 as a first-class electronics technician. He retired in 1995 after working for the test engineering department at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and he's been spending his retirement pursing his interest in history.
"The earlier part of my life, I spent a lot time doing the kind of things that put food on the table. Now that I'm retired, I really immerse myself in the things I like most," he said.
Long has also penned a history book. In February, Bookstand Publishing published his book, "Be to Me: The Collected Correspondence and Published Works of William H. Hodgkins," according to www.barnesandnoble.com.
"There's a copy at the Pottsville Free Public Library," Long said.
He's also enjoyed studying the history of military uniforms.
"The main library here in Bremerton has two large display cases in its front lobby and people are allowed to use them to set up displays of interest," Long said.
He said his displays included "mannequins dressed in quality-replica uniforms and large, framed photos of the subject.
"I also have a box with handouts describing who's on display."
In 2009, he assembled a display titled "Women In Uniform" at the Kitsap Regional Library.
"It included photographs of women who passed for men in Civil War," he said.
In 2010, he put together another salute to women in the Civil War titled "Daughters of the Regiment." His latest display, focusing on Black history, will include replicas of uniforms worn by Sgt. William Carney, the first black Medal of Honor recipient, and Biddle.
Biddle became a notable historical figure following an incident April 18, 1861 in Baltimore, Md., near Camden Station. A pro-Confederate mob threw bricks and the first hit Biddle, a servant of Capt. James Wren.
"One struck Biddle in the head, knocking him to the ground and leaving a wound that reportedly exposed bone," historian John David Hoptak stated in an article on historynet.com.
"Wren referred to him as his 'orderly,' " Long said.
Long said he was able to assemble an outfit remarkably similar to one Biddle wore. The parts were loaned to him by Civil War re-enactors from Fort Steilacoom, Lakewood, Wash.
"I've known about Mr. Biddle since I was quite young. I was born and grew up in Schuylkill Haven, and I've wanted to do a display on him. However, access to a pre-Civil War uniform like the one he is wearing in historical photos was not available to me until recently. Then I contacted the folks down there at Steilacoom and they helped me find the correct shell jacket," Long said.