Citizens of Mosby's Confederacy:
Living History at Sky Meadows State Park and Welbourne

On August 30-31, AGSAS held a small living history highlighting civilian life in "Mosby's Confederacy" of upper Fauquier and Loudoun Counties. The main site for the event was Sky Meadows State Park, near Paris, Virginia in Fauquier County. During the War, this estate was called "Mount Bleak" and was a "safe house" for Mosby's men. Mount Bleak was the home of Mr. & Mrs. Abner Settle, aunt and uncle of diarist Amanda "Tee" Edmonds (Diary of a Lass of Mosby's Confederacy), whose brothers & cousins rode with Mosby. During the day on Saturday and Sunday we did third person interpretation and demonstrated period sewing, knitting & millinery techniques.

Background Information: Follow this link for background information on "Mount Bleak" and "Welbourne" and history links / bibliographies used in preparing for this event.

Edwin & Victoria Kent with Beauregard the Dog			AGSAS members working on various projects - Bev Heath sewing (that's her holding up the piece of fabric, Joanne Owens knitting, Kathryn Coombs trimming a straw bonnet, Barbara Todd & Colleen Formby knitting.			Jeff Smith portraying Col. John Singleton Mosby with Mariah.
Cheryl Parlati & Bev Heath			The color version of the photo reproduced in black and white in the "then and now" picture, above.			Kathryn Coombs
Joanie Moses & Jeff Smith Joanie's collar, while atypical , is nearly identical to one worn by diarist Amanda "Tee" Edmonds in a War -era photograph			Joanie plays the fiddle while the others sew & knit			Barbara Todd & Colleen Formby
Mariah works the crowd interacting with spectators, turning on the charm. "Is that a real horse?"			Detail of Joanne from above picture			Barbara Todd
A webmaster's prerogative: pictures of my pretty girl Mariah.			In sleeping at Sky Meadows, several members tested the excellent reproduction rope beds made by AGSAS member Joanie Moses. They come apart and reassemble easily for transportation to events. For sales enquiries, email Joanie.			Gorgeous and she knows it.

 Cavalry Ride & Candlight Tour at "Welbourne" 

We combined our third person living history at Sky Meadows with a first person interpretative program at "Welbourne", in conjunction with a cavalry-led preservation trail ride organized by the Snickersville Turnpike Assocation. In the morning, we cheered on the riders as they departed for their 10 mile ride, punctuated by stops at key historic sites and talks from noted historians. In the evening, we did the civilian vignettes in the parlour and dining room for the candlelight tour organized for participants. The parlour scenario focused on the visit of "The Gallant Pelham" to Welbourne a few months before his untimely death, enabling us to point out to visitors where he had written on the windowpane. True to the sentiments of the young ladies of the era, Victoria Kent ran from the room in tears, unable to bear further discussion on the death of her hero. The dining room scenario focused on the partisan warfare waged by Mosby's command in the area (several Dulany cousins rode with Mosby) and the campaigns of the 7th Virginia cavalry, commanded by Col. Richard Dulany, wartime owner of Welbourne. Jeff Smith portrayed Col. Mosby and Lester Schumacher portrayed a trooper from the 7th Virginia on his way home on horse detail. The candlelight tours were covered by the Fauquier Democrat and AGSAS was pictured on the front page!

Welbourne is still in the Dulany family to this day. Our hosts Nat & Sherry Morison are the eight generation of Dulany descendants to live at Welbourne and were very gracious hosts indeed to let us come and "play" in their house.  

Colleen & Kathryn on the porch of Welbourne			Cavalry prepares to depart, cheered on by Colleen & BobDog.			Colleen, detail of picture at left
AGSAS member Anita Henderson did the ride as a modern rider on her horse, Fuzzy, and then changed into period clothes to paticipate in the living history			Cavalry assembles in front of Welbourne			Preservation ride organizer and cavalry authenticity proponent Todd Kern, of the Valley Light Horse, did a great job of putting the event together.
Jeff Smith on Mariah			Lester "the elder" Schumacher , 1st ME, and Jim Rowe, Co H, 4th Virginia (Black Horse Troop)			Cavalry trooper

Note: We are contacting the Fauquier Democrat for reprint rights for the photos they took of the candlelight tour scenarios.