Frederick County Civil War Roundtable

08/26/2026

Before this page ends, here is the FCCWRT speaker schedule for the 2026-27 season:

September 17 - Opening of season field trip! Rose Hill Manor @ 6:30pm

October 15 - Kevin Pollack: A Seared Soul - The Fall of Fitz John Porter

November 19 - Katie Migneault: Feeding the Army - Civil War Logististics

December 17 - Brad Stone: Civil War Mascots

January 21, 2027 - Tim Snyder: Jackson's Winter Campaign

February 18, 2027 - Fergus Bordewich: Klan War

March 18, 2027 - Jake Wynn: A Lynching in Chambersburg - A Civil War Murder and It's Forgotten Legacy

April 15, 2027 - Kelly Whitehead: The Quaker Abolitionists of Loudoun County, VA

May 20 - Cory Pfarr: The United States Signal Service in the Maryland Campaign

The new Frederick County (MD) Civil War Roundtable is a private group page that is set up now, so please join that group to stay tuned for Roundtable events.

08/12/2026

FINALLY!
News on the Old South Mountain Inn… from Maryland Preservation website:

“The South Mountain House has always evolved to meet the needs of the people it serves, and its next chapter should be no different. Attend the Open House on September 22, 2026—or participate in the public survey launching the same day on this page—to ensure the building’s upcoming transformation reflects the history, character, and future of the South Mountain region.”

—- Maryland Preservation website (https://preservationmaryland.org/southmountainhouse/)

You, the South Mountain community, is needed to respond as stakeholders to the New Concepts for the Old South Mountain Inn. They will be presented in September to review their consultants designs and full reports contracted, managed and developed by DNR and Preservation Maryland, etc.

South Mountain House Open House
September 22, 2026
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Greenbrier State Park Visitor Center
*Open to the public!

Until then, Share your thoughts here on what will satisfy the design requirements for its terminal objective of being an “Educational Hub” and “Visitor Center” for the economic enrichment and education benefits of South Mountain region.

Would you like to be put on a community information list to share your thoughts with neighbors and stakeholders?

Comment, Like and subscribe to this page!

08/10/2026

Just a reminder that this page goes away on 1 September. To date I have heard nothing about a replacement.

08/06/2026

We are excited to welcome Stephanie Stephens as the new superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site, and Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument. Stephens currently serves as the acting regional director for the Midwest Region of the National Park Service and will assume her new role this fall. Visit our website for more information: https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/news/super-stephens.htm.

07/13/2026

Just a FYI if anyone has plans to see the Pry House…

Email from National Museum of Civil War Medicine Important News: NMCWM Concludes Administration of Pry House.   NEWS RELEASE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CIVIL WAR MEDICINE CONCLUDES ADMINISTRATION OF PRY HOUSE

06/30/2026

I will be presenting at the Union Mills Homestead in Carroll County on July 18 during the "Citizen Meets Soldier" program that weekend. I will have books for sale. Come by and say hello! The planned itinerary for the event is below:
Schedule subject to change.
Saturday, July 18:
10:00 Grounds Open
10:30 Infantry Demonstration
1:00 Guest Speaker: Gary L. Dyson – Loyalties Revealed: The Civil War Soldiers of Carroll and Frederick Counties
2:00 Infantry Demonstration
4:00 Grounds Close

Sunday, July 19:
10:00 Grounds Open
10:30 Infantry Demonstration
12:00 Live Recording: The History Things Podcast
1:00 Infantry Demonstration
3:00 Camp Breakdown begins

Living History Stations for 2026 Event:
Shriver family at Union Mills
Grist Mill
Provost Guard [Military Police]
U.S. infantry
Prisoners of war
Blacksmith

Image of the Union Mills Homestead by James W. Rosenthal in 1933 (Library of Congress)

06/23/2026

Update: The work has concluded and all trails are now open.

The Final Attack and Cornfield Trails will be closed from June 25-27th due to work under the NPS Eastern Grasslands Initiative.

06/16/2026

This FCCWRT page will end on 1 September. It is my hope that anouther board member of the FCCWRT will create a new page soon, and I'll direct anyone interested to that page over the summer. I'm bound for Ohio!

05/08/2026