Announcing

The

 10th Conference of Women and the Civil War!!

 

    Information for SWCW Members

       

                  You are invited to

 

“Women at Gettysburg”

          The 10th Conference on

       Women and the Civil War

 

 

               July 25-27, 2008

               Wilson College 

             Chambersburg, PA
          (Off I-81, 25 miles west of Gettysburg)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This will be the 10th conference! Mark your calendar now and make plans to attend.

You’ll be glad you did. 

 

Midnight Madness – Buy, sell, and bid at a two-hour silent auction and speed-shopping event. Donate something for the Silent Auction, give to the SWCW sales table, rent a table for $5 and sell your stuff, or simply shop and enjoy.

 

Sit for your photo – We’ll provide the setting and the costume so you can pose for a commemorative portrait photograph at our photo studio during Midnight Madness. Pick up your photo at Saturday evening dinner.

 

Mount an Exhibit – Present your own research on women’s lives and roles in the Civil War by displaying a tabletop exhibit from 12 noon Friday through 1:45 Sunday.

 

Sign your Books – Conference attendees are invited to sell and/or sign the books they have authored or edited during Midnight Madness and throughout the weekend.

 

Here’s a tentative itinerary of events:

 

FRIDAY: at Wilson College


Vendor and Exhibit Setup

Check-In

See confirmation packet for exact location of workshops. Walk-in registrants must check in at Wilson College before attending workshops.

 

Workshops

 

Workshops will take place in Carlisle and Chambersburg, 25 minutes apart.  Workshops in each location will provide a break in the middle of the afternoon so attendees can if they wish, catch a workshop in each location.

 

Note that transportation to/from workshops is “on your own.”

AFTERNOON in Carlisle

 

Welcome and overview of the research and education facilities available at Carlisle, followed workshops customized just for us. 

 

Carlisle Option 1

 

Timeslot A Workshop

 

Special “Behind-the-scenes” tour of Army Heritage and Education Center.

 

Break to tour public exhibits (or travel between Chambersburg and Carlisle).

 

Timeslot B Workshop

 

Research: “The Virtual Staff Ride: A Military Overview of the Battle of Gettysburg”

 

Carlisle Option 2

 

Spend the Afternoon with your Research

Spend all afternoon, or just Timeslot A or B working on your research project. You’ll be amazed at the holdings of the U.S. Army Military History Institute, and what you can accomplish on your project in one afternoon! See confirmation packet for suggestions on making the best use of the research facilities.

 

OR

 

AFTERNOON in Chambersburg

 

 The Franklin County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has organized two workshop events for us in Chambersburg:

 

1) Walking tour of Civil War Chambersburg

2) Chambersburg Women of the Civil War

 

Each workshop will be repeated twice, with a break in between for a short social (or traveling between Chambersburg and Carlisle).

 

FRIDAY EVENING EVENTS
at Wilson College

 

Welcome and SWCW Annual Meeting

 

Picnic Reception

 

“Women [Soldiers] at Gettysburg”

 

DeAnne Blanton, former SWCW President and author of They Fought Like Demons, will update us on her research documenting women soldiers who fought at Gettysburg – and elsewhere.

 

Midnight Madness, Silent Auction and photo studio

 

Silent Auction and two hour speed-  shopping event combined with a chance to dress and pose for a “Civil War Style” photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY:


at Wilson College

Full Breakfast Buffet

 

WELCOME and PRESENTATIONS

 

“Life Behind the Lines: Letters to Point Lookout Prisoners”

 

Susan Youhn, historian and SWCW board member, will share her research on the lives and roles of some of the women who wrote letters to Southern prisoners at Point Lookout, MD.

 

“Women and the American Civil War: An Overview of Manuscript Sources at the Library of Congress”

 

Janice E. Ruth, a manuscript specialist at the Library of Congress, will introduce treasures on women and the Civil War available in the Manuscript Division of LOC.

 

Break with light refreshments

 

“‘Glory on the Grave’: The Civil War Legacy of Elizabeth Lyle Saxon”

 

Chance Harvey, author of The Life and Selected Letters of Lyle Saxon, will describe Elizabeth Saxon’s experiences as she traveled behind Union lines in Alabama and Mississippi in 1863.

 

“‘The Very Earth Beneath our Feet Trembled’: [Business] Women of Greater Gettysburg and the Vicissitudes of War”

 

Robin Young, historian and writer, will share her research on women of the greater Gettysburg region who managed and operated business enterprises normally run by men in this era.

 

Pick up Box Lunches, Load Buses and Enjoy Field Trip Highlighting “Women at Gettysburg”

We’ll publish details on the field trip in the next edition of At Home and In the Field.

 

Cocktail Hour; Cash Bar

 

At Dinner, we will honor.

 

  • current and all past speakers,
  • our founders, and
  • our current and all past board members.

 

SUNDAY:


at Wilson College

7:30-8:30 Breakfast in the Cafeteria

 

PRESENTATIONS and CLOSING

 

“Some North Carolina Women During the War”

 

Brenda McKean, SWCW regent and North Carolina resident, will share her research on the lifestyles and interaction between North Carolina women as they lived and supported the state during the American Civil War.

 

“‘Yes, Virginia, There Were Other Sanitary Fairs During the Civil War’: Cleveland and the Northern Ohio Sanitary Fair”

 

Timothy M. Daley will describe the efforts and accomplishments of Cleveland branch


 of the USSC, together with the success of the Northern Ohio Sanitary Fair.

 

Break with Light Refreshments

 

“In a Family Way: Clothing for, and Attitudes About, Pregnancy During the Civil War Era”

 

Glenna Jo Christen, founding member of the Living History Society of Minnesota, will tell the hidden story of how women dressed and coped with their often frequent pregnancies.

 

“The Struggles of Civil War Nurses as they Encountered the Pension System”

 

Educational consultant, historian, and writer Mercedes Graf will describe the struggles of the valiant women who served as wartime nurses as they tried to claim pensions in the postwar years.

 

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

 

 

CONFERENCE LOCATION:
Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Avenue (Rte 11 North), Chambersburg, PA 17201
Chambersburg is 25 miles west of Gettysburg, PA.

Exterior

CONFERENCE HOUSING:
Four Points by Sheraton, 1123 Lincoln Way East (Rte 30), Chambersburg, PA 17201

Phone: 717-263-9191

Call no later than 6/27/08 – using Code SWCW to ensure you get into our block of rooms.

$59 Conference Hotel Rate

 

 

On-Campus Housing - (offer expires 7/01/08):
For a lower cost housing alternative … Wilson College dormitory rooms are available for $30 (single) or $25 (double) in the Wilson College dormitories. These rooms have shared (single-sex) baths, are not air-conditioned, and are 100% non-smoking. Sign up for a dorm room on the conference registration form.

 

DIRECTIONS:
By Car:
To the Hotel - From I-81 just north of the MD/PA line, take exit 16 (Rte 30, Lincolnway). The hotel is on the northwest corner of Rte 30 and I-81.

To Wilson College - The College is located on Route 11 between exits 16 and 20 just north of the MD/PA border. From hotel, take Rte 30, Lincolnway into Chambersburg, turn right on Route 11 and bear right on Philadelphia Avenue

 

By Air: The most convenient airports are Hagerstown and Harrisburg (25-35 mi). BWI and Dulles are each about 100 miles away. (Rent a car; it’s cheaper than a shuttle from BWI or Dulles.)

 

 

 

To Register today go to: Registrationform.html