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Robert Finch Camp No.
14
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Home
Correspondence:| Commander: | Robert Clark |
| Senior Vice Commander: | Jeff Morse |
| Junior Vice Commander: | Dale Aurand |
| Secretary/Treasurer: | Neal Breaugh |
| Chaplain: | Don Gray |
| Delegate: | Robert Clark |
| Patriotic Instructor: | Bill Skillman |
| Color Bearer: | Joe Conger |
| Guide: | H. G. Smith |
| Guard: | Bob Winnie |
| Camp Historian: | George Goodrich |
| War Memorials Officer: | Fred Knoodle |
| Boy Scout Coordinator: | Jeff Morse |
| Graves Registration Officer: | Jim Slis |
| Members of the Council: | Dan Bennett |
| Jan White | |
| Bill Skillman | |
About the Robert Finch Camp No. 14
There were three Robert Finches. Camp Historian George Goodrich has done some very thorough and considerable research on who is the "real Robert Finch" that our Camp was named after. There now can be no doubt that the real Robert Finch is Sgt. Robert Finch of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. He was a charter member of Weathermax Post 75 of Grand Haven, listed second on the roster when the Post was formed in 1885. He was a sergeant and was discharged due to wounds. He transferred to Custer Post 5 in Grand Rapids and is reported on the Muster record of December 1903. His death was reported by the Post on February 10, 1924. Our newest member, Robert Clark is the great, great grandson of Robert Finch.
We are proud to be the oldest, active Camp in the Department of Michigan -dating from March 26, 1914.
Camp No. 14 originally was based in Grand Rapids until it petitioned to relocate to Traverse City, a convenient location for members and potential members in the area. John LaRue was the first Commander in that location.
Until April 14, 1997, the Camp could boast of one of the oldest and one of the youngest members of SUVCW. This claim ended on that date with the death of Lowell Herbert Orebaugh who at age 95 was a "Real Son."
On May 11, 2002, Camp No. 14 was honored to participate in the headstone dedication for Pvt. Wait Wright. Visit our memorial page to see some pictures of the ceremony.
On March 26, 2004, Camp No. 14 celebrated its 90th Anniversary with a gala dinner party at the Elks Lodge in Traverse City. Historical records and relics were put on display and community leaders were in attendance to honor the Camp.
On July 24, 2004, at the Camp’s annual Picnic Meeting, National Auxiliary SUVCW President Danielle Michaels re-chartered the Frances Finch Auxiliary No. 9 with Rank from August 9, 2003. This Auxiliary was originally chartered in Grand Rapids on January 28, 1925. Officers installed that day were Marge Pifer, President; Marian Solem, VP; Mary Rose, Sec/Treas; Mary Lautner, Chaplain; and Alice Barr, Patriotic Instructor. Also in attendance for this grand event were National Commander-in-Chief Kent Armstrong and SC-in-C Steve Michaels.
On July 30, 2006, seven Members of Camp No. 14 along with the Francis Finch Auxiliary No. 9 president, crossed Lake Michigan by Ferry Boat to South Manitou Island to join with the S. Manitou Historical Society in their annual ceremonies and to conduct the SUVCW rededication ceremony for the gravestone of Corporal Aaron Sheridan, his wife Julia, and young son Robert. After representing New York in the Civil War, Sheridan became the light house keeper on S. Manitou Island from 1866 to 1878 when he, his wife and son were lost in a storm returning from the mainland. Over 100 people attended these ceremonies including ten descendants of Corporal Sheridan.
On September 16th several Members of of Camp 14 attended a ceremony in Mancelona conducted by the American Legion Post 264 to honor PFC George E, Puckett, who was killed in action in France on November 9, 1918. Following that ceremony the Camp conducted the SUVCW rededication ceremony for the gravestone rededication ceremony for Mancelona Civil War Veterans Samuel Lesher and Rosewell W. Donaldson. Over 100 people including several members of the Lesher and Donaldson families attended this ceremony. Camp 14 was also honored to have in attendance DC Rick Greene, DSVC Robert Grove, DS Dennis Deer, and PDC Bruce Butgereit. Also at this event, Camp 14 Commander Bill Skillman presented Mancelona resident and WW 11 Veteran George Ouvry with an Honorary Membership in Camp 14 for the tremendous research he has been doing on not only Civil War Veterans but the Veterans of all wars in the Antrim County area. DC Rick Greene also presented Mr. Ouvry with a Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Michigan.
Currently, Camp No 14 major project is raising funds (a goal of $ 25,000.00) for the restoration of a one of a kind partially destroyed (12 inches of muzzle blown away) Confederate “substitute iron Napoleon” that had been cast at a foundry in Augusta, Georgia in 1864. In the Spring of 1996 Emmet County Department of Public Works were installing new sewer lines behind the Perry Stafford Hotel when they unearthed a heavy, dirt-encrusted object, that they initially thought was a piece of broken sewer pipe. However, after removing the object from the trench and brushing away the accumulated mud they discovered they had unearthed a Civil War Cannon. The cannon was transported to the County garage and dumped out back. In July, 2002, WM Officer Fred Knoodle, while searching for a different cannon missing from a Petoskey Park, was asked by the DPW head if our Camp was interested in taking this cannon off its hands before it was destroyed. The DPW then transported it to Fred’s pole barn, and it was afterwards when attempting to clean the cannon up that Brother Fred discovered its historic significance. Research continues, but we have still not been able to discover just how this Confederate Cannon got to Petoskey and was buried near the Perry Stafford Hotel—but research continues and we still hope to discover something. In the meantime, after completing our $ 85,000 of fund raising to restore the Traverse City “Old Soldiers” Monument, the Camp has begun in earnest to raise the necessary funds for the restoration of what we now call the “SUVCW Petoskey Confederate Cannon”. We have contracted with Mercene Karkadoulias of Karkadoulias Bronze Art,(whose firm restored the Grand Traverse County Civil War Soldier statue) to work her magic on the damaged cannon. Mercene has proposed to replace the missing 12 inches of muzzle and mount it on an aluminum reproduction field carriage. Once restored, the cannon will be donated to the City of Petoskey and displayed at Arlington Park, which is right across the street from the Perry Stafford Hotel where it was found in 1996. Arlington Park already has a G.A.R. Marker—a large boulder with bronze tablet that reads: “1861-1865 G.A.R. to the honor and memory of LOMBARD POST NO 170 by Lombard W.R.C. No 152 June 14, 1927. This park is the very ground where the G.A.R. reunions were held over a century ago.
The cost of the Restoration will be $ 16,500.00 and our target goal is $ 25,000 to cover the additional expenses. The City of Petoskey has committed to preparing the site and making it secure for the Cannon. As of this statement(January 11, 2007), we have now raised nearly $ 9,000 for this project. We plan on transporting the Cannon to the Karkadoulias Bronze Art plant in June, 2007 with the intent of having it restored and returned to Petoskey for dedication in the Spring/Summer of 2008.
As 2007 comes to a close, we have raised $ 18,104.72 for the restoration of the Petoskey confederate cannon and have paid Karkadoulias bronze art $ 12,500.00 of the $ 16,500.00 needed to restore the cannon. In addition to that, we have received two grants of $ 500.00 each from our national war Memorials fund and thewal-mart foundation to be used for a sign at the sight of the restored cannon. We have also received two similar grants from these two organizations For a sign at the Traverse City cannon from the USS Sabine. The cannon is located next to the recently restored Traverse City monument, and we are hoping to also be able To place an additional sign at this monument as well. We have set June 21st, the date of the Petoskey historical festival, for the dedication of the Petoskey confederate cannon, and august 23rd, the 150th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Dabine, for the dedication of these two signs.
On Memorial Day, May 30, 2005, Camp No 14 rededicated the Traverse
City Civil War Monument on its 115th anniversary Close to 1,000
patriots attended this gala event on this beautiful sunny day. All
of the areas Veterans Groups were part of the Color Guard and the
U.S. Coast Guard presented the Flag as a Coast Guard helicopter
flew overhead. Senator Carl Levin gave the keynote address. Also
represented were Senator Debbie Stabenow, State Senator Jason Allen,
State Representative Howard Walker, County Commissioner President
Wayne Schmidt(all served on Our Fund Raising Committee), Traverse
City Mayor Lynda Smyka, National JVC-in-C, the Honorable James Pahl,
DSVC Robert Grove along with a few other Department Members. The
Northwinds Brass Band and the TC Christian Choir provided ample
entertainment. After the Rededication, our Francis Finch Auxiliary
No. 9 hosted a wonderful reception in The Grand Traverse County
Building.
On August 31, 2005, Camp No 14 presented the County Commissioners with:
- A check for $ 10,000 for a permanent Maintenance Fund for the Monument
- A one of a kind casting of one of the Monument’s panels, enclosed in a Beautiful wooden frame with a gold plaque—to be hung in the Old County Court House near the Monument.
The Camp also requested permission to place an appropriate Plaque
at the T.C. Cannon near the Monument that would give background
information on the Cannon. The Grand Traverse County Commissioners
granted that request, officially dismissed the Monument Restoration
Committee with thanks and presented Robert Finch Camp No. 14 with
a beautiful Plaque that represented their “2005 AWARD FOR
EXCELLENCE”
On September 20,2005 an 18x14 inch cast aluminum plaque was placed at the foot of the Monument giving the date of the Rededication and thanking the students, citizens, businesses and organization of the Grand Traverse Region and naming six organization who made contributions of over $ 5,000 to this project—including the Robert Finch Camp No. 14
The other project that is almost completed is the plaque to be place at the TC Cannon on the Courthouse lawn next to the Civil War Monument. With the help of Department Civil War Memorials Officer Doug Armstrong and through the extensive research of Camp Commander Bill Skillman, we have discovered that our Cannon served on the USS Sabine during the Civil War and is the only one that survives from that ship. It was cast in 1862 at the West Point Foundry. We have pictures of the USS Sabine including one with its crew around our TC Cannon. We hope to present this Plaque to Grand Traverse County this Spring or Summer. the last $1,180.00 of our Monument Fund Raising will be used to pay for this Plaque.
Camp Meeting Information
The Robert Finch Camp No. 14 meets six times a year. The time and place is set by the Commander, usually a luncheon meeting on the 2nd Saturday in January, March, May, July, September and November.
2008 MEETING DATES
The Camp meets 6 times per year as stated below in the odd numbered months:
- January 12th : Installation of officers by Dept. Commander Dennis Derr II
- March 8th: Guest speaker - Dan Wambaugh on Confederate Uniforms
- April 26th: Dept. Encampment in Lansing
- May 10th: Andrew Hopkinson (London, England). What is a Brit doing in the SUVCW?
- July 19th: Camp Picnic & Meeting.
- August 7-10: National Encampment in Boston / Peabody, Massachusetts.
- September 13th: Diane Abbott - Camp Douglas Prisonower of War camp in Chicago
- November 8th : Chris Czopek - Topic to be announced
Please join us at the Elks Lodge in Traverse City which is located at 625 Bay Street at the corner of Division and the Parkway overlooking Grand Traverse Bay.
The telephone number is: 946-6171
We begin to arrive around 11:30 A.M. Business meeting follows lunch and usually begins around 12:45 P.M. and adjourns at about 2:00 P.M.
For additional information on any of these events please contact either Commander Bill Skillman or Camp Secretary Jim Ribby.
