Guided Civil War Tours

Guided Civil War Walking Tours are now available on a regular basis, June through October, in Historic Old Town Winchester and the Historic Frederick County communities of Stephens City and Middletown. New this year is a guided walking tour of Kernstown Battlefield and a guided driving tour of Cedar Creek Battlefield.

The tours are a project of the Winchester-Frederick County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, and are coordinated by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“This is a great way for individuals, families, and groups to explore the culture and history of our area,” said Sally Coates, Executive Director of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Also to be considered is the fact that walking is a wonderful low-impact form of exercise,” she added. “The walking tours are fun, informative, and healthy.”

Most of the tours are designed to last about one hour.

Each experienced tour guide helps participants understand the Civil War from the civilian’s prospective. Featured are stirring stories of the townspeople, their homes and businesses.
Continue reading Guided Civil War Tours

Fort Loudoun Day & Rouss Day, May 21

As a reminder, Fort Loudoun Day and Rouss Day will be held Saturday, May 21, rain or shine.

Tours start at Fort Loudoun, 419 N. Loudoun St., at 10 am to 1 pm, with a ceremony at 12:30 pm. Visit frenchandindianwarfoundation.org for a complete schedule.

In the afternoon, partake of the Rouss Day events. Click here for the full event schedule. PHW will have a refreshment table at Rouss Fire Hall, 3 S. Braddock Street for the re-dedication event at 2-3 pm.

Also look for the following Old Jake items for sale at Rouss Fire Hall at a table manned by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley:

OldJakePin Boxed Jake Cookie Cutter $5
Old Jake Lapel/Hat Pin $8
Old Jake Weathervane Ornament $24
Postcard .95
Old Jake Boxed Notecards $12
Green Ball Ornament $12

Click here to read the Rouss Day coverage by the Winchester Star (login required).

Taylor Hotel Financing Under Review

Vic Bradshaw, reporting for the Winchester Star, updated the status of the partnership between the City and Wishneff Group for the rehabilitation of the Taylor Hotel.

[Jim] Deskins said the application [for an advance on anticipated grant money from Housing and Urban Development] was revised numerous times to give it the best chance for approval. If it is turned down or if the Wishneff Group is unable to obtain historic tax credits for the work, the project will not be undertaken and the city government likely will tear down the building.

The application, he said, focuses on the public facilities to be created – the farmers market and performance area. It also pledges that at least 51 percent of the jobs in the space resulting from the project will go to low- to moderate-income residents.

According to sources, the HUD application should be processed in 90 days, with the historic tax credit application taking about the same time to review.

Find out more about Section 108 Community Development Block Grants from HUD at www.hud.gov.

Learn more about historic tax credits at www.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/.

Click here to read the full story (login required).

GIS Project Showcase

PHW’s intern Ashlee Anderson is one of the students presenting at the Gifted Independent Study Student Project Showcase, May 16, 6:30 PM at Sherando High School.

The event will highlight Miss Anderson’s work at PHW, in which she put together a walking tour of Italianate buildings in Winchester. She will lead the first tour for the public on June 5, following PHW’s Annual Meeting. Look for more information on the walking tour soon!

Click here to read more about the Showcase event.

Battle of Front Royal & Battle of Winchester

As part of the 149th Anniversary Program of the Civil War, the Warren County Committee of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission are sponsoring two programs in May, highlighting “Stonewall” Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign. The event focuses on the Battle of Front Royal and the Battle of Winchester.

Monday, May 23rd, 2011: Battle of Front Royal

Historical Overview: 12:00pm-1:00pm

Battlefield Tour: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011: Battle of Winchester

Historical Overview: 12:00pm-1:00pm

Battlefield Tour: 1:00pm-4:00pm

• Both programs begin at the Warren Heritage Society located at 101 Chester Street in Front Royal

• Tickets: $10 per tour

• Contact the Warren Heritage Society: (540) 636-0702 or the Warren Rifles Confederate Memorial Museum: (540) 636-6982 to reserve tickets

Preservation Virginia Informational Meeting Follow-Up

An informational meeting was held yesterday to discuss the Preservation Virginia Conference. The annual event will be held this year in Winchester, September 25-27, based out of the George Washington Hotel. The event, scheduled to coincide with Civil War Weekend, hopes to draw 200 people to Winchester and showcase the revitalized downtown and surrounding areas.

“Historic preservation is an economic development tool,” said Elizabeth Kostelny, executive director of the 6,000-member Preservation Virginia. “We want to introduce preservation to people who haven’t thought about it as economic development. Winchester is a great way to show that off.”

. . .

Some think of historic preservation as saving monuments and relics, [Bob] Stieg said, but the broader vision is that it “undergirds economic revitalization. It’s not just cute old buildings, but structures used by people.”

The annual awards will also be presented at the September conference in Winchester. Nominations are welcomed; for more information, contact Preservation Virginia at 804-648-1889 or online at www.preservationvirginia.org

Find the full story by Val Van Meter at The Winchester Star (login required.)

Rouss Day, May 21

Rouss Day returns on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Join in the celebration of one of Winchester’s most generous benefactors with a day full of activities.

Saturday, May 21st (rain or shine)
11:30am-2:30pm Lunch downtown (on your own)- Ask for restaurants featuring Rouss Day specials.

1:00pm-1:45pm Rouss City Hall, 15 N. Cameron St, 4th floor Exhibit Hall (former City Hall Auditorium), “25th Anniversary of Rouss City Hall Restoration” presentation by Tim Youmans. Brief guided tour of restored portions of Rouss City Hall to follow.

2:00pm-3:00pm Charley Rouss Fire Company, 3 S. Braddock St, Open House, including viewing of ‘Old Jake’ weathervane. (Includes Rededication & Fire Hall Band Music, light refreshments)

3:30pm-4:15pm Rouss Family Mausoleum open for viewing, Mt Hebron Cemetery, 305 E. Boscawen St- Mayor Minor and reps from Mt Hebron, Rouss Fire Company, WMC, and WFCHS invited for Wreath Laying

Also consider…
10am-5pm The Handley Library, 100 W. Piccadilly St- View Rouss items on display in Handley Archives show case (Exhibit runs during normal business hours).

9am-5pm Rouss Spring behind the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center at 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. (Visitor Center is open 9am-5pm)

Read about Charles Broadway Rouss and his contributions to Winchester at the Winchester City website.

See images of the Old Jake Replica being installed at The Winchester Star.

News from Preservation Virginia: Save the Dates

Summer General Meeting, June 11, 2011

The Summer General Public Meeting will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at Greenway Court, near White Post in Clarke County. Stabilization of three buildings at Greenway Court, Lord Fairfax’s estate and home in the Colonies, was selected as the Branch’s first project when the Branch was initially organized in late 2008. In 2009, the Branch raised matching funds to secure a state grant for emergency stabilization work. We are delighted to report that this stabilization work is underway and is expected to be substantially complete by June.

At the June 11th meeting, you will have the opportunity to see the recently completed and ongoing work firsthand, with the contractor who is doing the work on hand to discuss the results. In addition, Bob Stieg and Maral Kalbian will make a presentation on the dendrochronology analysis completed last year, which provides definitive dates of construction for the land office and smokehouse.

This meeting will be free to Preservation Virginia members and $10 per person for non-members. Greenway Court is located on White Post Road (Route 658) south of the village of White Post. On the day of the tour, “Historic Site Tour” signs will be posted at the property’s driveway. Following the tour, light refreshments will be served.
Continue reading News from Preservation Virginia: Save the Dates

Preservation Virginia Informational Meeting

Preservation Virginia will hold its annual meeting in Winchester September 25-27, 2011. With that in mind, an informative meeting will be held on May 10, 4 PM in the conference room at the Bowman Building of Shenandoah University, 20 S. Cameron St. The meeting will take place with Louis Malon, director of preservation services for Preservation Virginia, to go over what Preservation Virginia is all about and what this convention can mean to our community.

This meeting is open to the public. Anyone with an interest in preservation and the conference is welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Sandy Snyder at 540-535-3543 or ssnyder@su.edu.