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By Staff Reports on 30 April 2009
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced nearly 800 projects totaling $750 million that can be completed across the country with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This major effort includes projects in the agency’s Northeast Region, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland.
Posted in Places | Tagged National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park
By Linda Goin on 11 March 2009
On this day in 1934, the Albuquerque Journal in New Mexico (page 6) noted that a proposal for a monument at Appomattox Court House commemorating the surrender of Lee met with widespread protests from “the South.”
Posted in Today in History | Tagged Appomattox Courthouse, Confederate States of America, National Park Service, Robert E. Lee
By Staff Reports on 3 March 2009
[ 21 March 2009; 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. ] Sponsored by the National Park Service, Norfolk State University, and the City of Norfolk, the “Waterways to Freedom: The Underground Railroad Journey from Hampton Roads, Virginia,” symposium will include scholars (whose publications have focused on the Underground Railroad), a tour of local Underground Railroad sites, a pamphlet highlighting facts and lesson plans about the local Underground Railroad network, and a preview of a film on the Underground Railroad in the Dismal Swamp.
Posted in Calendar, Conferences | Tagged National Park Service, Norfolk State University, Underground Railroad
By Linda Goin on 5 February 2009
On this day in 1865, the Battle of Hatcher’s Run – also known as Dabney’s Mill, Armstrong’s Mill, Rowanty Creek and Vaughn Road – began. This two-day battle was one in a series of Union offensives during the Siege of Petersburg (June 1864 – March 1865). The goal was to cut off Confederate supply traffic on Boydton Plank Road and Weldon Railroad west of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County.
Posted in Today in History | Tagged Battle of Hatcher's Run, John Pegram, National Park Service, Siege of Petersburg, Vaughan Road
By Linda Goin on 29 January 2009
There is one house in the U.S. that was damaged by fire during a bombardment by a British fleet led by Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War. That same house was considered the Union army’s “Pentagon” during the American Civil War when General Grant used it for his headquarters. This is the oldest estate in America ever owned by the same family, as it was established in 1635 when King Charles I granted seventeen acres to Capt. Francis Eppes. Known as Appomattox Manor, this house and property were in danger of sliding into ruin in 1968.
Posted in Today in History | Tagged American Civil War, Appomattox Manor, National Park Service, United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
By Staff Reports on 23 January 2009
Following the Civil War, German born artist George Leo Frankenstein traveled over 3000 miles painting landscapes of the wars most famous sites “before any change in their features had been made.” Though a German immigrant, Frankenstein felt keenly its importance to the future of his adopted country. While at Appomattox, Frankenstein elected to record the site of the formal surrender ceremony in his painting the “Head of the Appomattox River.” The location is one of the most evocative on the battlefield – the site of the “Stacking of Arms,” the laying down of weapons and the return of the country to peace.
Posted in Feature | Tagged American Civil War, Appomattox Courthouse, John McCain, National Park Service, Place Called Appomattox
By Staff Reports on 21 January 2009
Governor Timothy M. Kaine today highlighted Virginia’s ranking as first among the 50 states and U.S. territories for the number of historic districts added to the National Register of Historic Places during federal fiscal year 2008. It is the fourth consecutive year in which Virginia has achieved top ranking for districts listed.
Posted in News, Places | Tagged National Park Service, National Register, National Register of Historic Places, Virginia Landmarks Register
By Staff Reports on 12 January 2009
As Inauguration Day approaches for President-elect Barack Obama, more people ask questions about presidential swearing-in ceremonies of the past. 1) Where was George Washington’s second inauguration? 2) Who was the first president to be inaugurated at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.? 3) Why was Theodore Roosevelt’s first inauguration held in Buffalo, New York? (answers below)
Posted in People, Places | Tagged Barack Obama, Inauguration Day, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington DC
By Staff Reports on 29 December 2008
This all-day event will explore a topic that lies at the intersection of interesting people and historically significant events. It will offer vignettes and appraisals of both Confederate and Federal “Generals Behaving Badly.” The lectures will probe the life stories of the fascinating characters and assess how their cantankerous, eccentric, or insubordinate behavior affected their performance as military commanders.
Posted in Events, News | Tagged American Civil War, Confederate States of America, George B. McClellan, National Park Service
By Staff Reports on 29 December 2008
The National Park Service (NPS) recently announced the release of a new report by the Native American Grave Repatriation Act Program (NAGPRA) entitled, “Culturally Affiliated Native American Human Remains Not Published In Notices,” The report was compiled by Katherine Maas, a National NAGPRA Program Intern and graduate student in the George Washington University, Museum Studies Program.
Posted in News, People | Tagged Indigenous peoples of the Americas, National NAGPRA Program, National Park Service, Native American, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Repatriation Act
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