Events Calendar
January 16 - September 19
"Circuit of the Summer Hills: Mourning the Losses of the Civil War" - In his newspaper column, "A Bivouac of the Dead," Ambrose Bierce, who fought in the Civil War, conjures images of the extreme human losses during the conflict when he writes, "Give them, these blameless gentlemen, their rightful part in all the pomp that fills the circuit of the summer hills." This exhibition will reflect on how artists portrayed the war, both outright, as in portraits, as well as in the use of subtle iconography, such as the sunset over the "summer hills." Many of the paintings were produced shortly after the end of the war and can be read as responses to the atrocities of the Civil War and a desire to create a unified American identity to move the country forward while still mourning the loss of so many lives. Works of art such as "The Portrait of James Dixon Roman," by an unknown artist and "Mountain Gap," painted in 1875 by Adalbert Johann Volck (1828-1912), shown above, will be featured. This exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Elizabeth Johns and Assistant Curator, Jennifer Smith and is sponsored in part by Rest Haven Cemetery and Funeral Home.
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Hagerstown City Park
Hagerstown, MD 21741
(301) 739-5727
Website
September 3
Every Friday from April 30 through September 3, a ranger will conduct an afternoon ranger program at 1 p.m. The programs will vary and will address various aspects of the Battle of South Mountain, the Civil War, and weapons and uniforms of the average soldier. Programs may also consist of tours of the battlefield from Washington Monument or a hike to Fox's Gap from Turner's Gap. Please come prepared with bottled water and comfortable shoes. Since these programs change weekly, please call the Battlefield Office for more detailed information at 301-432-8065.
Washington Monument State Park
Park Museum
(301) 432-8065
September 4 - 5
Volunteer groups representing Union and Confederate troops provide a weekend of "living history" at Gettysburg National Military Park. The weekend will feature artillery from the Maryland State Park Service and Purcell’s Battery. Camp and programs will be at Pitzer Woods, auto tour stop number 6. Free admission.
Gettysburg National Military Park
1195 Baltimore Pike
Gettysburg 17325
(301) 846-8065
Website
September 9
A full schedule including special battlefield hikes, two concerts by the Wildcat Band on Saturday, and living history artillery and infantry firing demonstrations on Sunday will take place this weekend. A detailed schedule will be announced in late August.
Antietam National Battlefield
5831 Dunker Church Road
Sharpsburg 21782
(301) 846-8065
Website
September 11 - 12
Join South Mountain State Battlefield for their annual “Fire on the Mountain” living history weekend. Come and see living historians portray members of Confederate Brigadier General Samuel Garland’s North Carolina Brigade and Union Brigadier General Jacob Cox’s Kanawha Division. Guided walking tours will feature vignettes of specific aspects from the Battle for Fox’s Gap. At these vignettes, living historians will demonstrate tactics, drill, and soldier life, as well as firing demonstrations, as were described by veterans of the battle. Tours will leave the parking area at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on Saturday, and 11:00 am, and 1:00 pm on Sunday. Free admission.
Fox's Gap
6620 Zittlestown Road
Middletown 21769
(301) 846-8065
Website
September 16
6:30 p.m. Bob O’Connor, author of several Civil War novels, will speak on John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Mr. O’Connor is the author of The Perfect Steel Trap: Harpers Ferry 1859, a historical novel surrounding the John Brown raid, trial and execution in Harpers Ferry and Charlestown, Virginia in 1859. The novel was a Best Book Award Finalist, Historical Fiction in 2006. Books will be available for purchase. Seating is limited, so please call to sign up.
Smithsburg Library
Smithsburg, MD
(301) 824-7722
September 16
7 p.m. Edie Wallace, an historian with the cultural resources consulting firm of Paula S. Reed & Associates in Hagerstown, will give a presentation on the history of Tolson's Chapel. The chapel will be open to visitors on Saturday, September 18, 2010 during the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival.
Sharpsburg Library
Sharpsburg, MD
(301) 432-8825
September 17
Scholars will talk about the history of slavery in Maryland. Lunch will be served.
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TBD
Frederick 21701
(301) 663-1188
Website
September 18
9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Enjoy live music from the MD Fife & Drum Corps, a candlelight alley walk, and food and art vendors.
Main Street/Square Area
Downtown Sharpsburg
(301) 991-0265
Website
September 18 - 19
The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area is celebrating the grand opening of it's new Exhibit & Visitor Center, open from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., the South Mountain gun crew will present an artillery program and children's activities will be offered throughout the day. On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., enjoy Civil War music presented by the Susquehanna Travellers. On-site parking is available and a motorized trolley shuttle service will be available between the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival (Sat. only), the new center, and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum.
Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Exhibit & Visitor Center
Newcomer House
Antietam National Battlefield
Sharpsburg, MD
(301) 432-6402