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Home > About AGSAS > Accomplishments

Past Activities and Accomplishments

Our Accomplishments in 2003:

  • Learned how to make reproduction canvas floorcloths (January)
  • Held a one-day first person "sewing circle" at a member's historic house (March), portraying local residents in 1862 discussing forming a soldiers aid society. The evening before, we held an informal, modern-dressed display and discussion of original clothing items and period photographs
  • Held a straw bonnet workshop for the Highland Historical Society (March)
  • Held an impression improvement workshop (April), featuring sessions on material culture (food storage / tableware) and a hairdressing workshop taught by Stacy Hampton, and hosted colleagues from other units and civilians attending McDowell
  • Organized the civilian component for the 2003 McDowell reenactment (May), including mentoring a number of new authentic civilians on clothing and first person skills. The overwhelming majority of AGSAS members attended the event, portraying the citizenry of Highland County. Member Anita Henderson gave an acclaimed talk on African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley and Allegheny Highlands during the War and other members participated in a program in the local schools.
  • Broke new ground in developing new internet tools for civilian event organization with the McDowell civilian website and the online application and registration system.
  • Assisted the civilians of the USV in conducting a living history at the Bushong farm during the New Market reenactment, demonstrating cooking, sewing and assisting in hospital scenarios.
  • Improved our understanding of Civil War History through an active program of battlefield, museum and historic town tours in Richmond and Petersburg
  • Taught a hands-on session on soldiers aid societies in the south for the Museum of the Confederacy's summer school program for 4th - 6th graders and produced a brochure handout on the topic and bibliography (August)
  • Held living histories at a number of museums and historic sites, including the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg (July), Sky Meadows State Park (August) and Belair Mansion (September) and participated in National Park Service living histories at Petersburg National Battlefield Park, City Point (August), and Harper's Ferry (October).
  • Helped raise money for historic preservation by providing a candlelight tour program for the Snickersville Turnpike Association's cavalry preservation trail ride at Welbourne in "Mosby's Confederacy". (August).
  • Helped with the National Park Service's new film on Fredericksburg civilians (December).
  • Reorganized AGSAS as an independent civilian living history organization, not an adjunct to a military group.
  • Maintained our contact with the military hobby by renewing our affiliation with the Fifth Battalion (now Pridgeon's Shenandoah Legion).

What we did in 2002:

  • Organized and hosted living history at Endview Plantation in Hampton Roads, VA (February)
  • Hosted a silk bonnet workshop taught by Christine Ballard (April)
  • Studied originals of men’s and women’s original mid-nineteenth century clothing at the Valentine Museum (April and November)
  • Demonstrated knitting and appliqué quilting at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. (June)
  • Participated in living history at Shaker Village, KY (May)
  • Celebrated our 7th anniversary July 4, 2002.
  • Participated in scenarios and demonstrated laundry at Berkeley Plantation in VA (July)
  • Demonstrated cooking, laundry and participated in scenarios with Yankees and Confederate POWs at Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island. (Aug)
  • Attended the 140th Anniversary of Sharpsburg / Antietam in Maryland (September)
  • Attended Harper’s Ferry “Election Day 1860” in Harper’s Ferry, WV (October)
  • Donated $200 to the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, for battlefield/historical site preservation.
  • Finished blocks for appliqué quilt to hand-quilt and raffle in 2003.

What We Did in 2001:

  • Organized and hosted living histories at Endview Plantation (April) and Meadow Farm (August.) and held a first person workshop in conjunction with the Endview event.
  • Organized civilians at authentics-only event in McDowell, Virginia, May 2001.
  • Held workshop on Construction of Cage Crinolines, March 31, 2001.
  • Basket Weaving and Applique Quilting workshop in June.
  • Participated in Militia Muster at Sky Meadows on June 1-3 , portraying citizens of upper Fauquier county
  • Held living history at the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg where we finished quilting the quilt to be raffled in October.
  • Participated in first-person, authentics-only event, Crampton’s Gap (Burkittsville MD) September 8-9.
  • Recognized in articles about Burkittsville in Civil War News.
  • Participated in scenarios and demonstrated crafts at Eno Soldiers’ Relief Society’s living history event, Bennett Place “Soldiers and Civilians” in Durham, NC on October 6.
  • Attended Harper’s Ferry “Election Day 1860” in Harper’s Ferry, WV on October 13.
  • Attended Cedar Creek on October 20 and held a quilt raffle for preservation.
  • Raised $660 in raffle with a “Grandmother’s Flower Garden” quilt we made. 100% of the proceeds went to battlefield/historical site preservation. We have started a new applique raffle quilt to raffle in 2002

What We Did in 2000:

  • Held a "show and tell" weekend for hands-on examination of original garments and quality reproductions for AGSAS members
  • Held workshops to make floor cloths and low-brim bonnets for AGSAS members
  • Presented a lecture on "Blockades, Shortages and Substitutes" at the Neshaminy reenactment
  • Attended Bentonville 2000 event as part of the Federal Campaign Battalion march by portraying refugees and residents of an 1830's farmhouse
  • Organized the "residents and refugees" portion of the Sayler's Creek 2000 event Workshops: basket making (May), and drawn bonnet (July)
  • Organized a "private" living history with an emphasis on civilian life at Hanover Tavern, Richmond in June
  • Organized a wayside station at Lynchburg event in September 2000 and held a Soldiers' Aid "Fancy Fair" raffle of period reproduction items we had made, which raised $500 for Preservation 2000 (the "Hodge March" for battlefield preservation).
  • Presented lectures at Lynchburg: “Shortages and Substitutes” and “Quilts of the Civil War”
  • Raised $500 for the Hodge March for battlefield preservation with a "fishbowl" raffle in Sept. 2000.
  • Finished piecing a new raffle quilt: “Grandmother's Flower Garden” for raffle in 2001 for battlefield preservation.

What We Did in 1999:

  • Organized civilians at authentics-only events in McDowell, Virginia, May 1999 and 3rd Winchester, August 1999.
  • Held private living history at Hanover Tavern in October 1999.
  • Recognized in photos and articles in Civil War News and the APCWS’ Hallowed Ground.
  • Presented lectures on Reproducing Civil War Civilian Clothing at the Highland County Historical Society in January 1999 and for a Richmond Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in April 1999.
  • Raised $1,137 for battlefield preservation by making and raffling a quilt.
  • Recognized in photos and articles in Civil War News and the APCWS Hallowed Ground for work on the quilt. (Making the quilt was also a "learn by doing" activity.)
  • Held a cage crinoline workshop for its members in April 1999.