On Sunday,April 9 at 2 pm, The Monona History club will present acclaimed actor and historical impressionist Jessica Michna portraying Former First Lady of Wisconsin, Cordelia Harvey, also known as “Civil War Angel in a Gray Bonnet.”  Cordelia Harvey was a philanthropist, nurse, and teacher who organized relief for Wisconsin soldiers and their children during and after the Civil War. She was called Wisconsin's Florence Nightingale as a result of her humanitarian work.

Cordelia Perrine Harvey came to Wisconsin as a young school teacher. She married Louis Harvey, who later became governor of Wisconsin. However Cordelia was widowed after less than three months in the Governor's Mansion. She would set aside her grief to become a healing presence in a nation wracked by civil war.  Jessica Michna's one-woman performance of Cordelia Harvey has been raved about and is considered essential for understanding Wisconsin's history.