March 19th Public Program with historical novelist Karl Rhodes: The story of “Peggy’s War” Available on YouTube
The SCHS
March 19th public historical program series event in Edinburg, Va. featured a 193rd birthday celebration for Margaret “Peggy” Rhodes, who, like most Shenandoah Valley Mennonites of her time, opposed slavery, secession and war, and also clearly sided with the Union. Her great-great-grandson, Karl Rhodes, highlighted the remarkable story documented in his historical novel, Peggy’s War. Peggy Rhodes had expressed her opposition in real ways, such as by running an underground railroad depot for Mennonites and Dunkers who refused to fight on either side. That, along with tending to her five children, ailing husband and a 120-acre farm. The program is available for viewing on YouTube.
A 2024 Heritage Day Invitation
Shenandoah County Heritage Day 2024 is almost here! This countywide day of sharing our history is set for Saturday, April 13, 2024 at the New Market Fire Hall on South Congress St. in New Market. The Fire Hall is a wonderful, large space and so were hoping that, in addition to our local history organizations, many individuals will attend and bring and share their historical stories.We invite you to come and exhibit family, house, church, cemetery, town and village histories, and more. Many topics to choose from! There is no cost involved. We supply tables and chairs.Heritage Day is hosted by SCHS and the Shenandoah County Library Archives. For more information, contact Zach Hottel, county archivist, at 540-984-8200, or leave a message at the SCHS, 540-459-1795.
2024 Shenandoah County Historical Society Annual Meeting set for May 21st
The 2024 SCHS Annual Dinner and public program will be held on Tuesday, May 21st, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at the VFW building in Edinburg, located next to the Stony Creek Blvd. railroad crossing. The program, “Learn about a new folk art tradition -- Barn Quilts” will be presented by Sally Shomo. She creates these beautiful objects throughout the Valley, and she will talk about how they had been used during the Civil War. Additional details on this event to follow at a later date.
2024 Historical Preservation Award Nominations are Open
The Shenandoah County Historical Society (SCHS) invites nominations from the 2024 John H. Adamson Excellence in Historic Preservation Awards. The deadline for submitting nominee names is April 1, 2024.The purpose of the awards is to honor projects within Shenandoah County that deserve recognition for their preservation efforts. SCHS hopes to encourage others to follow the examples of those being recognized. “Shenandoah County residents have reliably provided several award nominations every year since its inception in 2014,” said Awards Committee Chair, Karen Whetzel. “The Society believes that the quality of life in Shenandoah County is greatly enhanced by preserving evidence of our unique history, and that publicly recognizing these achievements creates a greater awareness of the value of historic preservation," Whetzel said.The awards recognize outstanding projects in the fields of history, architecture, scenic beauty and material culture (this includes furniture, textiles, documents, folk art, photography, basketry, tools and more). The original, or source, objects(s), must be at least sixty (60) years old, and the preservation project must have been completed to be eligible for consideration. See previous awardees on the
Interest Areas/ Preservation Awards page. A downloadable and printable nomination form is also provided there. Or, contact SCHS at (540) 459-1795 or email schs.va@gmail.com to request a nomination form. The application deadline is April 1st. The awards will be presented at the annual meeting and dinner on May 21st.
Historical Barns Project: John Adamson