Who is this person?

[L Verge]

We have a volunteer at Surratt House who portrays Thaddeus Lowe at various events. We planned a children's event at the museum last year around his presentation. Our exhibit shop constructed the most wonderful replica of a hot air balloon to fit inside our meeting room! Children could step into the basket or gondola or whatever the passenger part is called and have their picture taken. Our artists had even constructed a "ground view" and a "sky view" in miniature. We have a photo of our Mr. Lowe in the balloon, and I will try to retrieve it for posting here.

I mentioned the Bladensburg Dueling Grounds in jest on another post this morning, but Mr Lowe and several other aeronauts tested reconnaissance balloons in the town of Bladensburg, Maryland, during the Civil War because of its close proximity to Washington, D.C.