One of the best advantages to staying at Stevenson Ridge for Civil War buffs is that they can get a chance to see a part of the Spotsylvania battlefield that not many people get to see.
The Union Ninth Corps occupied the ground that is now Stevenson Ridge during the first week of the battle, and the Union Fifth Corps occupied it during the battle’s second week. Additionally, the Union Sixth Corps moved across part of the property. That’s ¾ …
from Chris
We have some “new” Stevenson Ridge history on display in the Lodge. I say “new” because it’s history, which by definition makes it old–but the displays themselves are new.
The first is a frame containing some images of Brig. Gen. Thomas Greely Stevenson, for whom the property is named. There’s a brief bio accompanying the images so that visitors can learn at least a little bit about him. (More info on Stevenson is available in our book Traces …
James Hemings
from Chef Moe
Hi everyone this is Chef Moe Marsh of Stevenson Ridge back again to share the brief history of James Hemings, an immensely talented chef. He was responsible for the spread of French cuisine to America, including crème brûlée, merengues, whipped cream and macaroni and cheese.
James Hemings ( 1765-1801) was an American mixed-race slave owned and freed by Thomas Jefferson. He was an older brother of Sally Hemings and half-sibling of Jefferson’s wife Martha Jefferson; …
from Kellyn
I was told, growing up, that a woman should wear white (or some form of it) on her wedding day. If you ask around to your girlfriends, you’ll likely find the same story. As an iconoclastic wedding coordinator, I always want to know more. Why is this the way it is? Where did this tradition come from? So, I’m forced to ask: wearing a white wedding dress has been the status quo for as long as most of …
The early bird rate is still available for anyone interested in tickets to next summer’s Sixth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge. Early bird tickets are only $135 each, and they cover events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Aug. 2-4, 2019. You can order here through PayPal.
The theme this year will be “Forgotten Battles of the Civil War.”
Keynote speaker A. Wilson Greene, former director of Pamplin Park and noted author and historian, will talk about some …
Just in time for the holidays, our historian-in-residence, Chris Mackowski, has a new book available: The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign, Nov. 26-dec. 2, 1863. The book, part of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, recounts the final chapter of the forgotten fall of 1863—when Union Major General George Gordon Meade made one final attempt to save the Union and, in doing so, save himself.
According to the press release from the publisher:
The stakes for …
from Chris
All Civil War Trails led to Stevenson Ridge last month.
We were pleased to host a regional meeting of Civil War Trails, Inc. You probably recognize the distinctive Civil War Trails logo on their many roadside signs: a red trumpet with a blue bar and white stars, pointing the way to Civil War sites and wayside displays. “Follow the bugle,” the Trails say.
With more than 1,550 signs in five states—Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West …
We told you last month about a major acquisition the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust was making on the Spotyslvania Court House battlefield right across the road from us here at Stevenson Ridge. The property, Myer’s Hill, was the scene of action on May 14, 1864. We’re pleased today to welcome our friend, historian John F. Cummings III, to tell us more about the man the hill is named after, John Henry Myer.
John Henry Myer came to America to …
from Elizabeth
For all those Fall Lovers, you can now officially pull out your boots, sweaters, hot chocolate, and pumpkin-galore without being judged by others: the fall equinox officially arrives tomorrow, Saturday, September 22!
The fall in Virginia tends to be a very popular season because we get to experience the season change highlighted by great beauty in the trees. Virginians get to enjoy the local harvest festivals, pumpkin patches, apple picking, and so much more.
How to do other …
Maxwell James Mackowski holds a copy of the new book his dad just co-edited.
If people know anything at all about the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, they usually cite it as “the turning point of the war.”
But a new essay collection co-edited by our historian-in-residence, Chris Mackowski, suggests that maybe Gettysburg wasn’t “the” turning point at all. Instead, the book argues, what if the war was actually a series of major turning points, one leading to the next, …