"A Grand Tour During The Civil War" (Old South Meeting House)

In addition to affecting the families of soldiers, the Civil War also had a profoundly disruptive effect on business. In April 1862, Eliza Baylies Wheaton embarked for England with her husband Laban Morey Wheaton and his cousin and business partner David Emory Holman on a business trip to Europe.

Kathryn Tomasek (shown to the right), Professor of History at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, will show how all three travelers used this trip as an opportunity for tourism in English and European cities during the second summer of the Civil War, making the best of a bad situation at home.