Augusta County Historical Society

17th, 18th, and 19th Century Silver: An Exhibit
2019-08-21 - 2019-12-28 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
ACHS presents Silver, an exhibit curated by Scott Ballin, a frequent curator of Society exhibits.
Silver’s theme features silver from the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, combining both history and art. The silver objects created during these periods were handmade and demonstrated superior craftsmanship. Silver in this period reflected not only the simplicity of times in American history, but also brought an elaborate social sophistication to the development of the young country. Dining was both social and political and silver was an important part of that daily activity. The exhibit will include approximately 70 pieces, accompanied by exhibit panels that describe not only the art of silversmithing, but its relevance in American life.
The exhibit will run through the end of 2019 in the R.R. Smith Center’s History Gallery and is open and free to the public.
The exhibit was made possible through a generous donation from Altria Client Services, Inc.

Charles Thomson: The Man Who Told The Truth: A BBC(Northern Ireland) documentary
2019-08-20 19:00 UTC | The Wayne Theatre, 521 W Main St., Waynesboro, VA, 22980, United States
Join the Augusta County Historical Society for the captivating story of one of America’s forgotten founding fathers, Ulster Scotsman Charles Thomson, with the screening of the BBC (Northern Ireland) documentary The Man Who Told The Truth. The movie tells the saga of Thomson and his role in American politics, the Revolutionary War, and the formation of the United States.
Following the hour-long documentary, local historian Nancy Sorrells and Dr. Patrick Spero, the Director of the American Philosophical Society Library in Philadelphia, will each give short presentations expanding upon their roles in the documentary and what they know of the Thomson story.
The sixty-minute documentary contains many connections to Virginia and Augusta County, where three of Thomson’s brothers came to live and where Thomson owned land.

The Flood of 1949
2018-11-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
Panel presentation by historians, meterologists, and survivors of the Stokesville-Bridgewater Flood.

Forgotten Soldiers” The African-American Men of Staunton and Augusta County in WWI
2018-11-11 15:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
Part of the area-wide WWI commemoration
Presentation by Historian Melissa Patrick
On the eve of the Civil War, the African-American population of Staunton and Augusta County stood at about 20 percent. In 1865, when Staunton became the headquarters for the Freedmen’s Bureau in the aftermath of the war, those population figures increased. Today the black population of the county is just over four percent, while the percentage in Staunton is 12 percent and 10 percent in Waynesboro.
In between then and now many social factors caused a dramatic drop downward and today’s relatively small numbers that unfortunately make the rich African-American history of our area seem less than it is. Luckily two local historians are engaged in research documenting the story of Augusta County’s black veterans a century ago in World War I. The end result will be a book published by the two.
They have researched nearly 400 names of those who served and 20 more names of men who were drafted but who were dismissed from the service due to medical conditions. Many of those from Augusta were in the 92nd and 93rd Divisions. There were 9 or 10 men in the famed 369th Harlem Hellfighters, an infantry regiment that fought under French control. The Harlem Hellfighters were particularly noteworthy for their accomplishments and bravery, so much so that the entire regiment was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Expect a little myth busting. A commonly held perception is that African Americans who served in the First World War were only used in labor details, but Patrick and Bechtel discovered that many area men were engaged in active combat.
At least 11 of the men who served died as a result of the war and at least one – Richard Dodson – was killed in action. Eight or nine others were wounded or gassed. They have found five men who were officers and six men who enlisted instead of being drafted.
The individual stories are compelling. Take Captain William Green for instance. He actually served 36 years in the army and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and a Silver Star for his bravery during WWI. His son, William Green, Jr. would go on to become a highly decorated Tuskegee Airman in WWII.
Harry Smith in uniform.
Then there is Harry Smith, who attended Hampton Institute to learn the blacksmith trade. He enlisted and was assigned to the 317th Engineer Regiment in France. According to his family he shod the horse of General Blackjack Pershing.
The Pannell brothers also stand out. Their father was the minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Staunton. The two brothers, Philip and Wilbur, were attending Howard University when the war broke out. After the war Philip became a pharmacist and Wilbur became a medical doctor. During the war, Wilbur enlisted so that he could be commissioned. He went through the first-ever officer’s candidate school for African Americans, became a second lieutenant, and served in France.

Two Who Served: The Tale of Two Valley Boys and the Great War
2018-11-08 19:00 | R. R. Smith Center for History and Art, Lecture Room, 2nd Floor, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
This program is part of the area wide WWI centennial commemoration
Ashby Forrest Painter pictured here in his uniform
Presentation by Gregg Clemmer and Nancy Sorrells
For all we know, the two young men knew each other – after all Ashby Forrest Painterlived in the very southern part of Augusta County in the little community called Ellard and Herman Leonard Clemmer grew up just a few miles away in Rockbridge County. Both were Presbyterian, Painter went to Pines Chapel, and Clemmer attended Old Providence. Painter was born in 1889 and Clemmer in 1890.
The other thing that they had in common? Both men lost their lives in service to their country in the Great War. Clemmer, a member of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division, was killed in France on July 22, 1918. Painter, a member of the 89th Division, 241 Machine Gun Company, was gassed in the Argonne Forest in the fall of 1918. Although critically wounded, he did not die on the battlefield. Rather he was shipped home and lingered in a veterans’ hospital in North Carolina until early 1922. He passed away in March 3, 1922.
Historians and authors Gregg Clemmer and Nancy Sorrells will tell the stories of their family’s almost forgotten soldiers – two local boys who represent the thousands of young men who went off to serve their country in WWI and never returned. And, while the stories of the two men are typical of those who served in World War I, the twisting, turning detective work needed to uncover the facts are somewhat unusual. Clemmer’s story comes via a framed photograph found in a trash pile in Nebraska. Painter’s tale was uncovered on a nearly 70-year-old quilt in North Carolina.

“On the Home Front: How the Influenza Pandemic Played out in Augusta County
2018-11-06 16:00 - 17:00 | First Presbyterian Church, 100 E Frederick St., Staunton, VA 24401 , VA, 24401, United States
Presentation by Nancy Sorrells and Caitlyn Alexander
ACHS board member Nancy Sorrells and ACHS intern and Mary Baldwin student Caitlyn Alexander will give a presentation about the great influenza epidemic.
The fall of 1918 was a tough time for those in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. World War I was in its final death throes, but much fighting remained in the Meuse-Argonne campaign before the armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918. Many of the local men in the military were heavily involved in that series of battles and local casualties were high. And then the double whammy hit – an influenza epidemic swept the globe. The end result was devastating. Military action in World War I took 16 million lives, including almost 117,000 Americans. That pales in comparison to the 50 million lives lost to influenza – one fifth of the world’s population and the deadliest illness in recorded history.
This program is part of an area-wide centennial commemoration of the end of World War I

ACHS FALL MEETING
2018-11-04 15:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
When Buffalo Bill Helped Staunton Prepare for War
Sunday Nov. 4, 3 p.m., Augusta County Government Center in Verona
Fall Meeting and talk by historian John Flood
Free and open to the public.
On October 5, 1916, Buffalo Bill Cody in conjunction with the Miller Brothers 101 Wild West came to Staunton. Cody was always one to incorporate current events of importance into his shows. With Europe already embroiled in World War I and the U.S. not yet but likely soon to be involved, the legendary scout and showman proclaimed the theme for his 1916 tour to be – Military Preparedness. Just three months after bringing this exhibition to Staunton, William F. Cody died in Denver, Colorado. Cody’s foresight did not miss the mark. On April 6, 1917, just 12 weeks after Buffalo Bill’s passing, President Woodrow Wilson, of Staunton, Virginia, along with the United States Congress declared war on Germany and thrust our nation into that world conflict. Now let us jump into this scene from a century ago – the intriguing connection of Buffalo Bill Cody, Staunton, Virginia, and Woodrow Wilson… a story from Wild West to World War.
Flood is a Winchester historian who is writing a book on Buffalo Bill and his Wild West shows.

Stuart Talk
2018-09-27 19:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
The Mysterious Photograph in the Hon. Mr. Stuart’s Attic
presented by Pamela Patrick

When Mrs. George Cochran (Lee) began her restoration of Stuart House a number of years ago, she asked Pamela Patrick’s father, Dr. Jim Patrick (former Augusta County Historical Society president) to go through the documents stored in the attic, and save those he thought should be preserved.
The subject of this talk –a photograph found in the attic of Stuart House during that restoration, pictures 18 men in 19th century dress. Five men are seated in front and the other 13 are standing behind them. In the front is a very recognizable Robert E Lee.
It turns out that this is a somewhat-famous picture of a somewhat-famous occasion that occurred in 1869. In her talk, Patrick will identify each man in the photograph – some were from the north and some from the south – and explain why they were members of this prestigious group that had gathered.
Free and open to the public

Conversations from the Grave
2018-09-22 - 2018-09-23 | Thornrose Cemetery, West Beverley Street, Staunton, 24421-2310
Meet the Residents of Thornrose Cemetery September 22-23, 2018
Saturday, Sept. 22: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 1:00, and 1:30
Sunday, Sept. 23: 1:30, 2:00, and 2:30
They say only the good die young.
Find out for yourself when you meet the Rev. Abel Fraser, Eva Clark, the infamous Marguiretta de Crescioli, Hugh B. Sproul, the Black Widow, and others as you are guided through Staunton’s own beautiful Thornrose Cemetery. Local costumed actors will tell the stories of the people who made our city their final resting place. Refreshments served following each tour.
Tours take place rain or shine! Tours are limited to 25 people per tour, so make your reservation now! Please select a first and second choice as these tours will fill up quickly.
For reservations, call Mary Gooden, ACHS office manager, at 540-248-4151, or fill out this ticket form and mail with your check to the address listed below. No tickets will be mailed until payment is received.
Thornrose is steep with uneven ground. Wear good walking shoes. Golf carts are available for those who issues walking. Please state your need for a golf cart when making reservations.

Vive La France: A Celebration of the Influence of French Wines and Cheeses on Virginia and America,
2018-08-20 - 2018-11-16 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
Another premier exhibit curated by Scott Ballin will run from mid-August to mid-November. A number of magnificent 17th-century maps, more than 30 of which are from the famous Blaeu family of mapmakers, are on display. The family patriarch and his sons were the premier mapmakers in Europe in the 1600s.
The exhibit will officially open at a gallery and garden reception from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday August 25. The reception is free and open to the public.
This exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Marion “Lee” Stuart Cochran.

Exhibit: Images of Our Rural Legacy: Portraits of Ordinary Architecture and Its Regional Landscape
2018-06-20 - 2018-08-06 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
by Gary Okerlund
These images of vernacular architecture and artifacts in their rural and agricultural landscape setting are distinctive to the Valley & central Virginia. Together, they embody authenticity, provide a sense of time and place, are part of our cultural legacy, and have a story to tell. The exhibit continues through the middle of August..
Opening Reception Friday June 22, 5-7 p.m.
History Gallery
Both Exhibit and Opening Reception are free and open to the public.

Annual Spring Banquet 2018
2018-04-02 18:00 - 21:30 | Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center, 24 S Market Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
Monday, April 2, Social 6 p.m., dinner 6:45
Dr. Ed Ayers will present a program on the third book and final book in his Civil War trilogy, “The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America.”
Book signing to follow program. Banquet tickets $50.

SPRING MEETING
2018-03-18 15:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
“Shakers & Jerkers: Radical Revivalism in the Shenandoah Valley & East Tennessee, 1805–1815,” presented by Douglas Winiarski.
Free and open to the public.

STUART TALK
2018-03-01 19:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Edmund D. “Rick” Potter
will present
Exceeding Expectations: Staunton and Augusta County Meeting the Challenge of Being from the President’s Hometown During World War I
Plaque honoring the area’s war dead on the front of the Augusta County Courthouse.
The talk will explore the military and civilian contributions of area residents during the period 1917-1918 as well as after the war, and is offered in connection with the society’s World War I exhibit opening in February in the history gallery.
An expert in the social consequences of World War I, Dr. Potter earned his BA from the College of William & Mary, Masters at UVA, and a PhD in History from Auburn University. In 2008, he wrote a history of Staunton. He is presently a graduate instructor for the U.S. Air Force, an adjunct Associate Professor at Piedmont Virginia Community College, and serves on the Board of the 116th Infantry Foundation in Verona.
Members free; non members $5; students $1.00

New Exhibit
2018-02-19 - 2018-06-15 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
Exceeding Expectations: Staunton, Augusta County, and World War I
Liberty Loan speeches in downtown Staunton
One hundred years after the event, the story of Staunton and Augusta County soldiers and civilian volunteers who contributed so much to the Allied victory in World War I has been researched and will be on display with historical photos, newspapers, uniforms and medals in the society’s history gallery at the R.R. Smith Center, opening the third week of February.
Exhibit ends Mid-May.

Stuart Talk
2017-12-07 19:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Kim served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg. A graduate of James Madison University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Kim has worked and interned in a variety of library and museum settings, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The North Carolina State Archives, and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.
A Young Man with Valley Ties: The World War I Service of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Those who might be interested in the Valley “prequel history” of Dwight Eisenhower should attend the Thursday, Dec. 7, Stuart Talk given by historian Kim McCray at the R.R. Smith Center second-floor lecture hall at 7 p.m.
McCray will be presenting “A Young Man with Valley Ties: The World War I Service of President Dwight Eisenhower.”
This Eisenhower family photo shows Ike (far left), his five brothers and parents. Ida Stover Eisenhower, Ike’s mother, was born near Fort Defiance, VA. She attended school in Mt. Sidney and church at Salem Lutheran Church. Her mother’s death disrupted her home life such that she ended up living with relatives. She moved to Kansas where her two brothers lived. She attended Lane University (associated with the United Brethren in Christ) in Lecompton, KS, where she met and married David Jacob Eisenhower in 1885,. Like him she became involved with the River Brethren and followed him into the International Bible Students, which later became the Jehovah’s Witness. She was a lifelong pacifist who thought war to be wicked. When her son Dwight told her of his appointment to West Point Military Academy, she took to her bed for three days. She did not stand in his way, however.
The presentation begins with a brief overview of Eisenhower’s Valley roots and then continues on through his early days with a continuous thread of his mother’s Shenandoah Valley roots and her influence on the man who would lead the Allied Forces in WWII and then become President of the United States. Included are the stories of how Eisenhower’s parents met, an overview of the family’s rocky early period, Ike’s childhood and teenage years, his time at West Point, and finally, his WWI service. The story of Eisenhower’s WWI service forms the largest portion of the presentation.
McCray was inspired to learn more about Dwight Eisenhower by the discovery of her own relation to the former President through his mother Ida Stover Eisenhower, who was also born and raised in Augusta County. In this two-part presentation, Kim first shares the Shenandoah Valley and then shifts the focus to Eisenhower himself. While Eisenhower is known almost exclusively for his triumphs as a World War II General and U.S. President, we will hear about the formative experience of his stateside service during the First World War
This photo was taken in 1918 when Ike was commander of the brand new Tank Corps in Fort Colt, Pa. At that time, it was the first of two Renault tanks to arrive at camp at long last (nearly six months after Ike was appointed to the post at Fort Colt. There are some great stories about how Eisenhower kept the men occupied and productive while in a tank corps with no tanks.
Free to ACHS members; others $5 for adults and $1 for students.

Stuart Talk Stitching Together a Community’s History: The Friendship Quilt and the Miracle at Pines Chapel Presbyterian Church
2017-11-16 19:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Nancy Sorrells’ presentation tells the story of Pines Chapel from the late 19th century to the present including the story of building the current church in the 1950s. She will give a square-by-square description of the quilt, highlighting many of the names and local businesses featured on the quilt.
Everyone in this 1942 photograph of the Pines Chapel congregation is on the quilt except one. Many of the women in this photograph actually made one or more of the 20 squares. A number of people in this photograph are also still living and their names are stitched on the quilt.
Stitching Together a Community’s History: The Friendship Quilt and the Miracle at Pines Chapel Presbyterian Church
The story of how a friendship quilt helped build a small country church in 1952 and the subsequent homecoming of that quilt in September of 2017 is the topic of the Thursday, November 16, Stuart Talk presented by Nancy Sorrells at the R.R. Smith Center for History and Art at 7 p.m. She will present an illustrated lecture “Stitching Together a Community’s History: The Friendship Quilt and the Miracle at Pines Chapel Presbyterian Church” in the second-floor lecture room that evening. The event is free and open to the public.
Pines Chapel Presbyterian Church started in the Cold Springs area of southeastern Augusta County during the late 1800s. By 1950, the country chapel had outgrown its frame church connected to an old public school building and needed a new building. Reverend Murphy Williams asked Presbytery for a $5,000 Challenge Fund grant to help build a new church.
The award came with the stipulation that the congregation matches that amount. The community accepted the challenge and raised the money. One of the most successful fundraisers was a friendship quilt project undertaken by the women of the church. For a small sum, people could put their names or names of loved ones on the quilt. The 20-square quilt, which eventually contained hundreds of names, was then auctioned off to further raise money.
Free and open to the public.

Fall Meeting
2017-11-05 15:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
Please join us at the ACHS Fall Meeting to hear Karl Stoltzfus, Sr., owner of Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater, Virginia, tell the story of “Columbine II: the first Air Force One.”
The Columbine II, as the Lockheed Constellation aircraft was called, was built in 1948 and was part of the phenomenon of Presidents going airborne. Eisenhower flew over 50,000 miles in the plane. After it was retired from presidential service, the Columbine II began a long journey of its own, serving a spraying company and then making appearances on the air show circuit. From the 1990s until 2014 it remained forgotten in the Arizona desert
In 2014, Karl Stoltzfus, Sr., of Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater, purchased the Columbine II. Stoltzfus is the son of Chris Stolzfus who formed a pioneering aviation company in 1936. Today Dynamic Aviation has an enormous range of aviation capability and provides aviation services around the world.
After Stoltzfus purchased the presidential aircraft, it underwent a year of maintenance and repairs in Arizona before being flown to Bridgewater. The Dynamic Aviation team has continued the restoration process since Columbine II’s arrival. Eventually the plane will be displayed in an aviation museum in Bridgewater.
The program is free and open to the public
Columbine II’s arrival in Bridgewater generated excitement. as crowds gather to watch the plane fly overhead and see it on the ground.
Karl D. Stoltzfus Sr., founder of Dynamic Aviation, purchased the Columbine II in 2015. The Columbine II, a Lockheed Constellation, was the first aircraft with the callsign “Air Force One” and flew President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s from 1953-1954. The callsign was adopted after a near mid-air collision with an Eastern Airlines flight, which had the same call numbers, in the skies over New York in 1954. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)
The first Air Force One which flew Dwight D. Eisenhower, returned to flight on March 19, 2016, taking off from Marana airport in Marana, Arizona. On March 22nd, Columbine II began the cross-country journey to Bridgewater, Virginia to undergo a complete restoration.
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Treasures of Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro Opens: July 31
2017-07-31 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
The word treasure has many definitions, but the one that makes the most sense for this exhibit is “something of great worth or value.”
The treasure of history is abundant in a county such as Augusta that once stretched to the Mississippi River. In a place where Native Americans lived for 10,000 years and where European settlers have carved out a rich history for more than 300 years, we are truly blessed.
However, the real treasures that make our history possible are the people of the past and present who care about saving and documenting history as well as those who actually put the “story” in our history. We hope you enjoy learning about just a few of our treasured people from the distant and not-so-distant past.
Many postcards featuring scenes from Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County are on display in the “Treasures of Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro” exhibit. The postcard pictured above is part of the ACHS Hamrick Collection.

The Verdict of the People: a history of voting in Augusta County
2017-06-27 - 2017-10-01 | The Wayne Theatre and Ross Performing Arts Center, 521 W. Main Street, Waynesboro, VA, 22980, United States
This excellent exhibit has traveled to the the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, VA where it is on display in the second floor gallery. The exhibit examines the history of voting and elections in Augusta County from the county’s inception to the last presidential election.

Stuart Talk
2017-04-20 19:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Dr. Edmund Potter, associate professor of history at Mary Baldwin University
presents
The History of Mary Baldwin University
in commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of Mary Baldwin University
ACHS members and MBU faculty, staff and students free admission
non-members $5 admission

21st Annual Spring Banquet
2017-04-03 18:00 - 21:00 | Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center, 24 S Market Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
Monday, April 3, 2017
6 p.m. Social Hour and 6:45 Dinner
Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center.
Guest Speaker Robert Newlen, the Chief of Staff for the Library of Congress, will present
“The 21st-Century Library of Congress: Your Library in Washington D.C.”
Robert Newlen has spent more than 39 years at the library serving in many areas including assistant law librarian and in the collections development. He was recently promoted to Chief of Staff.
A fundraiser drawing and silent auction for special donated items will round out the evening. Tickets are already available. Download this ticket order form or call 540-248-4151.

175th Anniversary Exhibition on the history of Mary Baldwin University
2017-03-28 - 2017-05-07 | History Gallery at the R.R.Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401
This exhibit commemorates the history of Mary Baldwin University. It features a rich collection of artifacts, historic images, and documents covering the school from its early establishment as Augusta Female Seminary in 1842 to its recent transformation from a college to a university.
April 6, 2017
5 to 6 p.m. Opening reception: ACHS members welcome

ACHS Spring Meeting
2017-03-26 15:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
Kevin Walker
CEO for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
The Future of the Past: Jackson’s Valley Campaign and Battlefield Preservation
This presentation will focus on two pivotal battles at Port Republic and Cross Keys that led to the victory over the Union forces.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of our region’s true experts talk about the importance these two strategic battles played in Jackson’s Valley Campaign. The lecture is free and open to members and the public. Light refreshments will follow Walker’s presentation.
This program is free and open to the public.
Kevin Walker will present The Future of the Past: Jackson’s Valley Campaign and Battlefield Preservation. The Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic were significant as being the final decisive battles in Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign, and took place on June 8th and June 9th respectively. Two weeks earlier, Jackson and his army had forced General Banks from Winchester into full retreat to the Potomac. Jackson quickly moved back up the Valley to avoid being caught between two more Federal armies and then proceeded to defeat them, one at a time. Together, the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic the following day gave Jackson and his troops the boost they needed to force the last of the Union armies to retreat from the Valley, leaving Jackson free to reinforce General Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond, Virginia.
Walker made the point that the Valley Campaign as a whole is one of the three most frequently taught examples of well-executed military campaigns, not just in the United States, but also in military schools around the world. Walker stressed the importance of studying history, as it provides us with reminders of what actually happened in the past and serves as a caution for what could happen in the future, depending on our actions today.

HOPE REBORN OF WAR
2016-12-13 18:30 | Francis Auditorium, 227 E Frederick St,, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Back by popular demand
Connie Doebele and Nancy Sorrells will present their book and documentary video –
Tuesday December 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Mary Baldwin’s Francis Auditorium
Hope Reborn of War: The Story of a World War II military hospital, a world famous rehabilitation center, and a unique educational community in Fishersville, Va. (the Woodrow Wilson General Hospital, Wilson Memorial High School, WWRC, and the tech school)
The story of a ground-breaking military hospital and its impact on the people it served and the community it shaped.
This program is free and open to the public.

Stuart Lecture
2016-11-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Lecture Room, R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
On December 7, 1941, a Pan Am passenger plane winging over the central Pacific learned that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor, where they had landed and embarked from the day before the attack. The adventures of the plane and its crew as they worked to escape attack and get home safely make up a little-known but compelling tale. The plane not only had to avoid Japanese aircraft, it had to find safe places to land and refuel on what would become a perilous voyage home.
Von Hardesty tells the tale of this plane, named the Pacific Clipper. Hardesty is a retired curator from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum and is the author of several books on early and wartime air adventures. He is also currently a member of the ACHS Board of Directors.

The talk will be 7 p.m. Thursday, November 17 in the second floor lecture room of the R. R. Smith Center for History and Art.
The event is free to ACHS members; students are $1 and non-members are $5..
An Event Sponsored By The Augusta County Historical Society

Connie Doebele and Nancy Sorrells to present book and documentary video – Hope Reborn of War: The Story of a World War II military hospital, a world famous rehabilitation center, and a unique educational community in Fishersville, Va
2016-11-11 14:00 | Harold E. Watson Auditorium at the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center, 64 James Anderson Road, Fishersville, VA
Connie Doebele and Nancy Sorrells will unveil their book and documentary video Hope Reborn of War: The Story of a World War II military hospital, a world famous rehabilitation center, and a unique educational community in Fishersville, Va. (the Woodrow Wilson General Hospital, Wilson Memorial High School, WWRC, and the tech school)
Friday, November 11, 2016, 2 p.m.
Harold E. Watson Auditorium at the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center
Reception following hosted by the WWRC Foundation
Book & Video set available for sale with proceeds going to the Augusta County Historical Society
Parking is available in lots E and F. Access the Auditorium via Crosswalks at Hornet Road. Check the WWRC.org for a campus map. Accessible parking in lots S, T, and G.

ACHS Fall Meeting features Jeff Evans
2016-11-06 03:00 - 17:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, 24482
Jeff Evans will present a program on Staunton and Augusta County Artisans at the ACHS Fall Meeting
Sunday, November 6 at 3 p.m.
Augusta County Government Center
Verona, Virginia
Jeff Evans, President, Principal Auctioneer and Specialist at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mt. Crawford, Virginia, will include new scholarship and research focusing on 19th century cabinetmakers and potters.
Evans is a nationally recognized expert in early American glass and 18th and 19th century Shenandoah Valley furniture and decorative arts.
DO NOT miss the chance to hear one of region’s true experts talk about the role of local craftsmen played in producing the Valley’s rich material culture.

The Verdict of the People
2016-09-23 08:00 - 2017-01-20 17:00 | R.R. Smith Center History Gallery, 20 S. New Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
The Evolution of Elections in Augusta County and the Nation

In Full Bloom- Music to the Eyes and Ears
2016-06-04 - 2016-08-31 | R.R. Smith Center History Gallery and Memorial Garden, South New Street, Staunton
What makes summer more enjoyable than art and music and gardens?
The Augusta County Historical Society and Heifetz International Music Institute bring them all together this summer with an event you will not want to miss.
An exhibit comprised of approximately 50 original botanicals from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, including works by Basilius Besler, Elizabeth Blackwell, Christopher Hills, and Friedrich Bertuch will run from June through August, 2016. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
As part of the exhibit, students and alumni from the Heifetz International Music Institute will perform a series of concerts representing the various periods. Not only will these performances be conducted in the gallery, but music will fill the Memorial Garden that was opened at the R.R. Smith Center just over a year ago.
Concert times TBA
