DOWAGIAC — Local history buffs will have a chance to learn even more about Dowagiac’s history, with the upcoming return of a popular museum series.

The Dowagiac Area History Museum, 201 E. Division St., Dowagiac, will kick off its 2018 fall lecture series at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5. The series, which will feature four lectures from September to December, invites local and state experts to the museum to talk about a topic of historical importance. All programs take place at 6:30 p.m. and are free to museum members and $5 for nonmembers. Children under 18 are admitted for free.

“We have a great collection of lectures lined up for the fall 2018 season,” said Steve Arseneau, director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum. “We always try for a diverse set, and I think we accomplished that for the fall.”

The first lecture in the series is “Bayonets: Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at Gettysburg” by Theadore and Faye Chamberlain. Local Civil War re-enactors Ted and Faye will be dressed in period costume as they tell the story of Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain. Theadore Chamberlain is a descendant of Joshua Chamberlain, whose exploits at Gettysburg were popularized in the 1993 film “Gettysburg” and in Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Killer Angels.”

According to Arseneau, the lecture will focus on how in the Battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain successfully led his troops in the defense of Little Round Top, a vital position, from attacking Confederate forces. At that fight’s climax, outnumbered and running out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge downhill — a counter attack that routed the Confederates. Had they taken the hilltop, the Confederates could have subjected the entire length of the Union’s main lines on Cemetery Ridge to plunging artillery fire.

“It should be a really fun way to start off the series,” Arseneau said. “It will be very interesting and very informative.”

Next up will be “A History of the Cass County Fair” by collector and fair historian Becky Moore.  It will take place Oct. 3.

On Nov. 7, the museum will host “Michigan’s Three Capitol Buildings in Three Capital Cities” by Michigan State Capitol Historian Valerie Marvin.

The final lecture of the series is “A History of Dowagiac Schools from A to Z” by former Dowagiac Union Schools administrator Michael Frazier. It will take place on Dec. 5.

“I’ve been wanting to do something on the schools for a long time because that seems to be a popular topic,” Arseneau said. “So, I was finally able to convince Mike Frazier to do some research and do that program. We are pretty excited about that.”

Arseneau said he is hopeful that the public will enjoy the lecture series as they shine a light on pieces of history that people may not normally think about.

“This is just a way of getting people to understand our local community’s history and also give some state and national history, as well,” he said. “It’s just important to remember the community.”

For more information on the fall lecture series, call (269) 783-2560 or visit dowagiacmuseum.info.