Susquehanna National Heritage Area will hold a lecture on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., Columbia. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. The event is part of the RiverRoots LIVE! Lecture Series.

Author Scott Mingus Sr. will present "Black Defenders of the Susquehanna." During the Civil War, more than 50 African Americans built rifle pits and took up arms to defend the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge against Confederate forces when they marched into Wrightsville. Mingus will tell the story of these hometown heroes and how they were remembered.

There is a fee. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.SusqNHA.org/events.