Archive for the News Category
A Visit to Mercersburg
For those of you who are regular readers, you know that the town of Mercersburg, PA has been the scene of a struggle to save an important historic structure, the Justice William Smith House. On Thursday, November 11, I drove there to see the house for myself and hear the story from Karen Ramsburg, who [...]
PA Trolley Museum 2010
Another post that is a ‘little’ late. It has been a very busy Fall. On the weekend of September 11-12, the PA Trolley Museum near Washington, PA hosted the annual Antique Truck Show. As is customary,28th Division, 110th RCT, K Company,set up a WWII living history display as part of the show. As I have [...]
Topkick’s Military Museum – Worth the Drive
For the last two years, I have talked about making the trip to Petersburg, WV to see Topkick’s Military Museum, but have not made it. on September 24, 2010, I finally made it. While it is a bit of a hike from my home to Petersburg, the trip was definitely worth it. The owner, Gereald [...]
Ike Farm – 2010
I attended the Ike Farm WWII Weekend on September 18. This was the first time in several years that I had gone and pleasantly, it seemed that it had grown since the last time I was there, although, it may just be that I can’t remember that much about the last time. There were two [...]
Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr House
The following article was originally submitted by Linda Donegan to the Charleston, WV Civil War Roundtable: Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr In 1835, Henry Fitzhugh and his wife Henrietta settled in Ravenswood. They had acquired land and built a home on the corner of Walnut and Race Streets. They had come to Ravenswood from Fauquier County Virginia [...]
Veteran’s Day
A warm thank you to all veterans for your service to our country and its people. The debt is deep and profound. We should also take a moment to remember the men and women of the armed services still serving. God bless and come home safe!
Happy Birthday Marines!
November 10, 2010 marks the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Thank you Marines for your bravery and sacrifice down through the years…and Happy Birthday!
November Events
November 2010 WWI – November 4-7. Newville, Pa. GWA Fall National Living History and Tactical Event. For more Information: http://www.great-war-assoc.org WWII – November 6, 2010,Arrival : Friday between 4PM and 10PM Saturday Between 7AM and 9 AM, Buck Springs Plantation, Warren County, North Carolina. 1943 Generic Eastern Front Event, Reenactors: $15.00 (pre-registration $10.00 due on [...]
Smith House – Another Setback
More in from Karen Ramsburg. Apparently the Fire Department is not interested in working with anyone to save the house. Here is a report from the Chambersburg Public Opinion by Roscoe Barnes III (no relation). “MERCERSBURG — A proposal by a local doctor to purchase and relocate the Smith House failed to meet specifications for [...]
Update on the Smith House
This in from Karen Ramsburg: Dr. Paul Orange, a Franklin County physician, has offered to relocate the Justice William Smith House in order to avoid having the local fire department from having it demolished. In a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Len Barcousky wrote: ” “I have a love of history,” Dr. Paul Orange said [...]
Williamsport WWII Event 2010
The following report was submitted by correspondent Bill Donegan: Williamsport 2010 Event This year’s living history at Williamsport began with Kim sending me an e-mail message telling me that they had a “PACKARD” for me, for the parade. I misread it thinking it said package. I had a big laugh when Linda pointed out my [...]
Russian Mosaic Festival 2010
This was submitted by Reenactorpost Correspondent, Mike Momot: The Russian Mosaic Festival 19 September 2010 Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA The Russian Mosaic Festival is a celebration of Russian life and culture and includes the many republics of the former Soviet Union. People come from far and wide to celebrate in the festivities at this fine [...]
Decision for Justice William Smith House Coming Soon
Here’s the latest from Karen Ramsburg on the Smith house, soon to go to Ireland….? “Decision in Fate of Justice William Smith House Approaching MERCERSBURG, PA- One thing is for sure now, the Justice William Smith House has two options: it will be shipped to Ireland or bulldozed to the ground. Mercersberg, Montgomery, Peters and [...]
Jollytown Civil War Memorial – A Job Well Done
On September 4, 2010, the Reenactorpost and the Sons of Union Veterans drove to Jollytown, PA and cleaned up the Jesse Taylor Civil War memorial and repainted the guns. The SUV commander, Matt Gillespie, had gotten Lowe’s in Buckhannon to knock 50% off the cost of two gallons of Rustoleum. One can was olive drab [...]
A Working Visit to the Tank Farm
This one is a little late, but it has been a busy summer and fall (so far). On July 12-13, Bill Donegan and I drove to the Virginia Military Vehicles Museum to work as volunteers. The ‘Tank Farm,’ as it is also known, is located near Manassas, Virginia and contains an amazing collection of 20th [...]
Criticizing a Reenactor for His/Her Impression
Over the past week, there has been a lot of press over the membership of Republican congressional candidate, Rich Iott’s membership in a midwestern German reenacting group, SS Wiking. Articles in the online version of the Atlantic and numerous other websites usually refer to Iott taking part in ‘Nazi’ reenactments. Apparently the Allies weren’t there [...]
Smith House – Fire Department accepting Demolition Bids
The latest and grimmest news out of Mercersburg concerning the Justice William Smith House, as reported by Roscoe Barnes on http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_16273782?source=email “If retired historian Richard MacMaster comes in with the lowest bid, then the house, one of the oldest in Mercersburg, could go to the Ulster-American Folk Park in Ireland — a place designated for [...]
Is the Smith House Moving to Northern Ireland?
The crises surrounding the Justice William Smith House has entered a new phase with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette taking up the cause of preserving the site. Two recent articles on their on-line service discuss the issue. The first article notes that a museum in Northern Ireland is interested in moving the historic Justice William Smith House [...]
Break-in and Theft at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site.
The following is a reposting of a notice of a theft. Hopefully this will assist in capturing the thieves or at least recovering some of the items: Two historical sites in southern Colorado have been robbed in the past week by thieves who stole buffalo hides, historic weapons and cash, according to the National Park [...]
October Events
Below are events scheduled for October (To the best of our knowledge): October 2010 Militaria Show – October 1-2, MAX Show (Military Antiques Extravaganza) Monroeville Convention Center, just outside Pittsburgh, PA. See: http://www.themaxshow.com WWI – October 1-3, Newville, PA. Western Front Total Immersion Event. Great War Association. Invitation only. http://www.great-war-assoc.org WWII – 2-3 October 2010 [...]
HAMPSHIRE HERITAGE FEST, ROMNEY WV SEPTEMBER 10 – 12, 2010
In my haste to get this out, I neglected to note that this was submitted by Nick Korolev (Very sorry Nick!) ed. The Hampshire County Heritage Fest takes place every 2nd weekend in September. The Civil War living history and reenactment part of this fun festival has only been going on for a few years, [...]
USS Olympia – Are We Going to Lose This National Treasure?
On Sunday, September 19, I toured the cruiser USS Olympia with my friend, Don Taylor. We were in Philadelphia for the Russian Mosaica Festival and took the opportunity to check out this historic vessel. I had, of course, seen many pictures of ships of the “Great White Fleet”, but had never experienced actually boarding one. [...]
The Smith House – A Letter to the Editor
This just in from Karen Ramsburg on Cambersburg Public Opinion: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Heritage is our heart and soul Public Opinion Online How much do we really value our history? In Mercersburg, the Justice William Smith House is the birthplace of the right to bear arms in America because Smith’s Rebellion was a test [...]
The Longest Weekend, D-Day pt. III
Here is Bill’s Continued Report on Longest Week-end- Conneaut Ohio: Following on the heels of that epic bridge battle the three West Virginians retired to the comfort of the 2nd Gebirgs camp for a rest and refit. While cleaning rifles and reloading bandoleers, we were approached by the local news media for snap-shots and interviews. [...]
The Longest Weekend, D-Day Ohio Pt. II
Here is the second installment of Bill’s D-Day Journal: Following a hearty breakfast at the hotel, Linda and I arrived at the German/French camps around 0900. I was living history with Gilbert, John, Ray, Jim, Ron and Roger at the German camp while my wife and Debbie Wenig were living history at the French camp. [...]