SHOALS– The Martin County Historical Museum will host a special Civil War remembrance day this Saturday, September 20, to honor the 28 soldiers from the 19th Illinois Infantry Regiment who lost their lives in a little-known train wreck in 1861.

The event is free and open to the public.

The event, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., will commemorate a tragic moment in local history. On September 17, 1861, a troop train carrying Union soldiers crashed over a bridge at Beaver Creek near Shoals, resulting in the deaths of 28 men and injuring dozens more. The disaster had a profound impact on both Martin County and the soldiers’ hometown of Galena, Illinois.

Local historian Taylin Allen of the Martin County Historical Society will share the story of the tragedy. A key part of the day’s

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