History

mailto:andrear@herald-mail.com More than 200 years of history were represented at Fort Frederick State Park near Big Pool on Saturday. The park's Muskets in Maryland event featured living history re-enactments, tours and demonstrations staged to educate the public about the strenuous daily lives of Maryland settlers and the stone fort's use during the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War and Civil War, Park Manager Ralph Young said. He expected between 800 and 1,000 visitors to the two-day event.

I loved having school-age children because it was an excellent excuse to visit the museums that I missed seeing when I was a kid. So when they were in elementary and middle school, our children were dragged by my wife and me to museums and attractions locally and up and down the East Coast. Some of the best attractions are close to home. The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is one of our community's precious assets. The county also is blessed with dozens of other museums highlighting local agriculture, railroads, aviation and African-American history, to name but a few. Down the road a bit, The Smithsonian museums in Washington are without peer.

Appreciating the history of Washington County is more than a passing hobby for some. It is a passion. Roger Fairbourn, 52, shares his passion for the architecture and historic landmarks of Washington County with the community while serving as the president of the Board of Directors at the Washington County Historical Society. Fairbourn's interest in the history of the county began at a young age. As a child growing up in Hagers-town, he said his parents always inspired him to be involved.

Kelsey McCullough steps into the federal armory building Thursday in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. It is near the site where abolitionist John Brown led an unsuccesful attempt to arm and free slaves in 1859. McCullough is visiting Civil War sites across the region. He lives near Palm Springs, Calif.

A teacher enters a classroom, walks among students, touches or picks up objects, looks out the window and then leaves, closing the door behind her. What just happened? That little episode was history teacher Evelyn Williams' first lesson in how history is alive and personal. This was how she introduced history to a new class of students. After the walk-through, she had students write about what they saw. "The results were amazing. No two reports were alike," said Williams, now. "Some kids saw an angry expression on my face.

History is for old fogeys, right? Well, then, what are all these young people doing volunteering at the Washington County Historical Society? And, why are high and middle school students engaged with in-depth historical research projects? Interns and volunteers find hidden surprises and projects In the last two years, WCHS has had some amazing work from young people deeply interested in aspects of history. Janina Wiles came on board about two years ago to develop job skills for a career in history.

Sometimes, for unknown reasons, we overlook an object year after year. When we finally show interest, we wonder how such neglect was possible. This was the case when I paused to take a closer look at a book that had been on one of my bookshelves for more than 40 years. "The Lessons of History," coauthored by Will and Ariel Durant, turned out to be a most delightful treasure chest of history and wisdom. Yet it was packaged into a series of essays requiring only 102 pages. This is amazing when it is realized that these two tireless writers have published two volumes about philosophy and more than a dozen volumes of world history.

This summer, the Continuing Education and Community Services Division at Hagerstown Community College will offer two new history courses. The first course, “1862: All Hell Breaks Loose,” will be offered Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., beginning July 18 and ending Aug. 1. Taught by historian Joe Mieczkowski, the course will explore the Civil War campaigns on both the eastern and western fronts. Discussion topics include the Union Army's defeat by Gen. Robert E. Lee; Gen. George McClellan's command of the Union Army of the Potomac; the Battle of Antietam; the capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson; the defeat of the Confederate Army in Tennessee; the capture of the Union naval forces at New Orleans; and the attempted invasion of Kentucky by Confederate forces.

pepperb@herald-mail.com A mission to make history mean something has led one group of high schoolers and one group of outsiders to rally in support of a local Civil War legacy. Ann Stickler's North Hagerstown High School Advanced Placement U.S. history class and Forest Glen Commonwealth, a Kensington, Md.-based nonprofit historical preservation and education organization, have their eyes on a piece of land off Gapland Road in southern Washington County where a farmhouse and barn sits that once served as a Civil War field hospital.

Every year, the Fourth of July brings a celebration of the red, white and blue, and an occasion to celebrate this nation’s birth. But in the midst of cook-outs and fireworks, do people really think it is important to remember this nation’s history? In honor of the upcoming Independence Day, the Herald-Mail asked a number of local residents if they think it is important for citizens to understand the founding of the United States and the general structure of American government.

History is for old fogeys, right? Well, then, what are all these young people doing volunteering at the Washington County Historical Society? And, why are high and middle school students engaged with in-depth historical research projects? Interns and volunteers find hidden surprises and projects In the last two years, WCHS has had some amazing work from young people deeply interested in aspects of history. Janina Wiles came on board about two years ago to develop job skills for a career in history.

Taken cumulatively, it might be the most historic stretch of mountaintop in the Mid-Atlantic. From the Interstate 70 footbridge south along the spine of South Mountain, the ridgeline has seen an extraordinary amount of American life (and death) go by. In 1755, British Gen. Edward Braddock scratched and clawed his way through a rocky pass in South Mountain with an army of British soldiers on his way to disgrace, defeat and death in a scrap with Indians and French soldiers at modern-day Pittsburgh.

The clothes Abraham Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater, the flag on Iwo Jima, Stonewall Jackson's uniform, pre-Columbian textiles and hundreds more artifacts like them have been spread across tables in a small shop in Ranson. Textile Preservation Associates has been conserving artifacts and preparing them for display since it was opened in 1987 by Fonda Thomsen. Cathy Heffner came on board in 1989 and bought the business from Thomsen in 2007. A 1976 graduate of Brunswick (Md.) High School, Heffner's participation in a work-study program in National Park Service conservation labs during her senior year led to a full-time job as a textile conservator with the agency.

There were some proud moments at Town Hall on Friday morning for the ladies of the Tuesday Craft Group as they showed off the big signature quilt they made for the town's 250th anniversary in 2012. The 5-by-8-foot textile hangs in an environmentally protected case on a first-floor wall of Town Hall, a temporary home until it moves to a permanent home if a new town library is ever built, according to anniversary officials. The “nondenominational” craft group meets Tuesdays at Trinity Episcopal Church.

HCC student art exhibition The exhibit features artwork including painting, drawing, mixed media sculpture, ceramic sculpture, pottery, digital photography and graphic design prints. Exhibit concludes Friday, May 3. Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Center, off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. Free. Call 240-500-2221 or email jhbontempo@hagerstowncc.edu . Elementary school artwork Washington County Public Schools exhibit of art by students in kindergarten through fifth grade continues through Sunday, May 5. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, City Park, Hagerstown.

I was prejudiced against "Oblivion" because about a week before it opened. A friend of mine got to see a movie in advance and left after the first half hour. At around the 31-minute mark, I was jealous of my friend. It's not a terrible movie in that "clearly a bomb" sort of way, but it failed to hold my interest and it was depressing to know that it was nowhere close to ending. The film stars Tom Cruise as Jack Harper, a drone repairman on an abandoned Earth in a bleak future. Humanity had to evacuate the planet after an alien invasion rendered it uninhabitable.

Hagerstown author Preston “Toby” Law will speak to the Keedysville Historical Society on Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 53 N. Main St., Keedysville. Law will discuss his new book, “Drummer Boy for the Bonnie Blue,” which follows a 14-year-old Frederick native, Thad, as he decides to join the Confederate army as a drummer boy. The public is invited, and visitors are encouraged to bring their children and grandchildren. Books will be available for purchase. Light refreshments will be served.

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. " - St. Francis de Sales   Ask me what I believe the difference between success and failure is and I'd say it's consistent persistence. Being stubborn isn't always a bad thing. I've found that my most successful clients are the ones who absolutely don't allow anything to get them off goal.