06/15/2026
In celebration of the Indiana Centennial in 1916, Montgomery County held a community pageant to "express love and reverence for those who brought even greater renown to our whole community." The pageant was a series of dramatized reenactments depicting community heritage and history. The dramatizations included the naming of Crawfordsville, the founding of Wabash College, the Black Hawk War, and a scene from Maurice Thompsons "Alice of Old Vincennes" to name a few.
Pictured is community members reenacting the enlistment of the Wabash College class of 1862 into General Lew Wallace's 11th Indiana Zouaves. The Montgomery County Centennial Association described the scene as "...an outdoor recruiting station. The enlistment officer is seated at a table on one side... A drummer sounds a long roll and the Wallace Zouaves march in. They execute a fancy drill under the command of Wallace. Then they pass single file to the recruiting table and sign the roll."
Originally scheduled for June 13th and 14th, 1916, the enlistment demonstration was postponed until the 15th due to the delayed arrival of the Zouave uniforms.
