A colorful ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 23, at 9 AM to dedicate a new pair of historic markers on the site of a Civil War military base that once overlooked the Schuylkill River in Gladwyne.

The base, known as Camp Discharge, was established by the Union Army in 1864 to help hundreds of citizen-soldiers return from the battlefront and transition back to civilian life.

Dozens of uniformed Civil War re-enactors will assemble for the dedication, including a military band performing period music. As their regimental flags fly, the re-enactors will fire a musket salute to honor the veterans who spent time at Camp Discharge. Remarks will be made by Jim Remsen and Brad Upp, co-authors of Back from Battle, a 2021 book about Camp Discharge, as well as by Capt. Bridget Wilby, an Iraq War veteran who assisted in the book's early research.

The dedication ceremony will take place at a corner of the club’s Centennial Course, best accessed from Lafayette Road and Martin’s Lane. Please park along Martin's Lane or Lafayette Road and follow the signs up the wooded hill from the bend in Martin's Lane. Note that no restrooms will be available, and the terrain leading to the event will be uneven.

The general public is invited. Please note that the ceremony will be canceled in the event of inclement weather.

The Philadelphia Country Club owns the Camp Discharge site and has promoted the camp’s history, including by underwriting the cost of the two historic markers.

The markers will be permanently accessible to the public via the Sid Thayer Trail section of the Bridlewild Trail Network.

For further information, contact Jim Remsen at (610) 291-7707.