by Jim Barnes
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, but this year was bigger and better than ever. The weather was perfect – cool and sunny with a thunderstorm, thankfully only on Saturday night. This was a free event with water, hay and wood provided and a wonderful free chili dinner on Friday night for all reenactors at the fire station in Romney. The Union was camped out at the historic Fort Mill Ridge and the Confederates at Sitar Farm near the railroad and new bridge construction.
Richard “Byrdie” Byrd with 30 years of experience in reenacting was the reenactor liaison for this event, and outdid himself arranging logistics, setting up the Union camp space, making sure waivers were signed and helped organized the planned scenarios with the historical society and festival planners. This year he also came up with the same rules followed at the big events to insure gun safety and the rigorous following of planned scenarios to keep everyone safe and on the same page to curb any problems with the “yahoo/cowboy” faction that often shows up at small and medium events. These rules were distributed at both camps and strictly enforced by Union commander, Steve Reincke and Confederate commander Jason Studantwalt with the result of a pleasurable safe event for the public and the reenactors alike.
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. ... ...
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 ... ...
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. ... ...
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. ... ...
This in from Bill Donegan: This is a report on what Debbie Wenig has dubbed “The Longest Week-end” Three West Virginia Gebirgsjagers and two wives traveled from Charleston, Fairmont and Morgantown WV to attend this years re-enactment of the Normandy invasion. Jim Barnes, Morgantown, was the first one to arrive early on Friday and was .....
The following is a report from our intrepid correspondent, Mike Momot: The Tank Farm” Nokesville, Virginia, 21-22 August 2010. This event is located on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles. This event was attended by members of the 193rd and many other reenactment units. WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, the Cold War, and ... ...
Below is a list of living history events for September taken from our Events page. If anyone knows of other events coming up, email us and we will post them: WWII – Western Front. Odessa, New York. September 10, 11,12, 2010. For information, contact: odessaevent@gmail.com Civil War – September 10, McGrew House Living History, Kingwood, ... ...
One of the more unusual side trips I made while visiting my son in Maine, was a trip to Moosehead Lake in the west central part of the state. Now the lake itself is a popular tourist attraction and justly so. It is a very large and quite scenic natural lake which offer a variety ... ...
Old Bedford Village has been described as the ‘Jewel of Reenacting’ in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I certainly agree. One of the premier events that I look forward to each summer is the annual OBV 1940′s weekend. It is always laid-back, interesting and fun. This year was no exception. Between John Niemiec, Craig Hall and ... ...
I recently received an email from Mark Davies in regard to a post on his blog. The blog title is a bit odd for our usual content as it is ‘Online Masters Degrees’, but I checked out and it seems to be okay. Anyway, with this particular link, he provides his list of the ’100 ... ...
Bill Donegan participated in some of the skirmishing at Old Bedford Village during the 1940′s Living History Weekend on August 7-8. Here is his report: The Germans were in control of the village. It was a beautiful summer day, the sky was clear and blue, no humidity and about 75 degrees fahrenheit. Villagers were out ... ...
The 2010 edition of the Arthurdale New Deal Festival took place on July 10. As usual, Eleanor Roosevelt was there and was accompanied this year by her husband, the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. For those of you who don’t know, Arthurdale was a planned community which was proposed by Eleanor Roosevelt ... ...
The following is a report by guest commentator, Matt Gillespie, on the Gettysburg Cyclorama which has been moved to the new Visitor’s Center: My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010. What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA. None of ... ...
Here are the latest updates from Karen Ramsburg regarding the Justice Smith House: Hi everyone, With great excitement and plenty of research work ahead I want to introduce http://smithrebellion1765.com. It is a living document as we continue to sort through primary sources related to the events surrounding William and James Smith and the Black Bo...
As some of you may know, I spent a week in Maine last May. Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War knows that Maine made a major contribution to the Union war effort in many different sectors. Maine was one of the first states in the northeast to be aligned with the Republican ... ...
The Houston Freedom Fest was held on July 3rd, 2010 in the park behind the American Legion in Houston, PA, and is sponsored by the Central Christian Church of Meadowlands. The 28th Infantry, Co. K was invited to attend and set up an encampment. We all got to the park Friday evening and set up ... ...
The following is a report on the annual Blue-Gray Reunion in Philippi, WV by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: On June 3rd through June 6th Linda and I attended, and participated in, the 149th Annual Blue & Gray Reunion in Philippi, West Virginia. Linda and I started this year’s preparation back in March when we began ... ...
Here is a short update from Karen Ramsburg concerning the ongoing effort to save the Smith House in Mercersburg, PA.: To all: We are pleased to have received a letter of support from Professor of History, Kevin Kenny of Boston College, author of the recently published book on the Paxton Boys titled Peaceable Kingdom Lost. ... ...
In getting ready for Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival this coming weekend, I have been forced to do something that I have been wanting to do, but have been putting off for some time: developing a period civilian impression. Admittedly, this is a new area for me and I welcome any advice from the readership. ... ...
On the weekend of June 19, 2010, Rowlesburg, WV and the Greatest Generation Society held their annual WWII Weekend. This is one of my favorite annual events for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the hospitality of the event sponsors and the community. We were provided with a spaghetti dinner on ... ...
Another June, another Reading! For any readers who don’t know, Reading Airshow is the largest gathering of WWII reenactors and enthusiasts on the east coast, with the possible exception of the Gap. There is no other gathering of this many WWII aircraft in one place, of which I am aware. The 193rd Rifle Division has ... ...
The following is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The 6th annual Gathering of Civil War Eagles held at the Old Courthouse Civil War Museum in the Old Town location of Winchester, VA took place the weekend of June 4-6. This premier educational event is history brought to life by living historians from across ... ...
The Marion County Historical Society held it’s annual Julia Pierpont Day in downtown Fairmont at the Society’s headquarters on May 29, 2010. (See 2009′s coverage for more details.) Governor Pierpont and, of course, Julia (Art and Pam Dodds) were in attendence, as well as Senator John Carlisle and Mrs. Carlisle (Gary and Millie Goe...
Attached is an account of the recent reenactment of the Battle of Lewisburg from correspondent, Nick Korolev: The Battle of Lewisburg Heritage Committee and the Greenbrier Campus of NRCTCpresented their annual Civil War event commemorating the 1862 Battle of Lewisburg May 21-23. This event is one of the best of the small to medium events ... ...