Department Encampment 2026
The 2026 Department of Texas and Louisiana Annual Encampment will take place at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum on May 16, 2026 at 1:00 PM, in Waco, TX. The Department website has the Schedule, Registration Form and everything else you need to know.
CLICK HERE to go there and read all about it. Then head on up to Waco and VOTE for John Vander Meulen for Department Commander!
FRATERNITY – CHARITY – LOYALTY
San Jacinto Day Celebration
The members of Sarah Emma Seelye Auxiliary #1 thought it would be a good idea to get out in front of the public at a new event, and it was! For the first time our organization had a booth at the San Jacinto Day Celebration, on April 18, 2026. Nice tent with flags and banners, many displays, fundraisers including the Opportunity Quilt drawing and sale of Patriotic Cockades and, of course, membership information to hand out to visitors were all a big success.
Sisters Vali Reyes, Jana Marsh, Lisa Riley and Annette Kinslow attended in either Civil War-era attire or ASUVCW gear, along with Brother Robert Riley from Camp 2. The ladies explained the importance of Patriotic Cockades back to Revolutionary War days plus showed housewife (sewing) kits that soldiers would keep with their gear. Check out the pictures and start planning for next year when the Brothers will join the Sisters in force at San Jacinto Day, complete with uniforms and displays of our own.
There we many participants at this event… reenactors, living history, heritage societies, vendors and more… here are pictures of some of them.
March 2026 Newsletter
In addition to all of the usual amazing content this issue of The Harriet Lane contains the biography of Captain Edwin N. Ketchum, 176th New York Volunteer Infantry.
Captain Edwin N. Ketchum’s life was colorful and action-packed – born at sea, Civil War soldier, Indian scout, cattle herder, Chief of Police, businessman, U.S. Customs Examiner, Grand Army of the Republic officer, survivor of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, and long-time owner of Menard House, the oldest surviving residence in Galveston.
Kudos to Brothers Michael Lance and Terry Sutton for all their great research and for this story that will give you a real taste of what life was like for a GAR member in Southeast Texas.
CLICK HERE to read all about it.
Happy reading and Huzzah!
