EXHIBITS

Wed. Jan. 4, thru Tues., Feb. 28 – “Secret Sketches from the Holocaust.” View an exhibit of sketches by artist Esther Lurie secretly drawn during her captivity in Kovno Ghetto, and Stutthof and Leibitsch concentration camps. The program, A Holocaust Remembrance, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m. at Cascades Library, and will feature esteemed speakers from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, American Society for Yad Vashem and the Anti-Defamation League. Cascades Library. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

LECTURES, SEMINARS, TOURS & OTHER EVENTS (mostly free)

Thurs., Jan. 5, at 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. -- “The American Revolution.” Historian Blane Ampthor shares fascinating details, personalities, and misconceptions behind key events from the American Revolution.  Cascades Library, Meeting Room A. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library.

Sat., Jan. 7, at 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. – “Dawn of Infamy.”  As the Pearl Harbor attack began, a U.S. cargo ship a thousand miles away in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean mysteriously vanished along with her crew. Author Stephen Harding discusses what happened and why. Rust Library, Leesburg, Large Meeting Room. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library.

Sun., Jan. 8, at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. --  “La Belle Americaine: A Visit with Mrs. Monroe.” Our fifth U.S. president was James Monroe, but do you know his wife’s name? Often overlooked, Elizabeth Monroe was considered one of the beauties of her time who shared a long and loving marriage with her husband. Meet Mrs. Monroe over tea and learn about her life and experiences during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Tracy Gillespie will then answer questions about this most elusive of First Ladies. Rust Library, Large Meeting Room, Leesburg. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

Wed., Jan. 11, at 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. – “Night of the Assassins.” Historian Jim Lewis details the circumstances preceding the brazen plot to take out the Big Three - Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill - during World War II, the men who stopped it and the implications had the plot succeeded. Ashburn Library, Meeting Room B. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

Wed., Jan. 11, at  6:30 p.m. (dinner), and 7:15 (program) – Harpers Ferry Civil War Rountable: “The Road to Becoming Stonewall,” presented by historian Brian Daly. Childhood troubles plagued the young Tom Jackson, but he was transformed during his time at West Point and by his service in the Mexican War. Arriving at VMI In Lexington, Jackson found, lost, and found again the love of family that had escaped him up to that point in his life. The program is free and open to the public, but we encourage you to reserve and attend the dinner to help out the CWRT and our host facility. The family-style dinner this month will consist of baked ham with raisin sauce and all the sides, drink, and dessert. The dinner cost is $20, payable at the door. You must reserve your dinner by Sunday, January 8, by contacting Chris Craig at ccraig@laurellodge.com.

Sat., Jan. 14, at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. – “Charles Russell Lowell Jr.: The Consummate Citizen-Soldier.” Fortified by a philosophy that found meaning in action, Charles Russell Lowell emerged as one of the Union cavalry’s exceptional battlefield commanders. Historian Jim Lewis describes Lowell’s extraordinary Civil War exploits on Ayr Hill in Vienna and his love story with social reformer Josephine Shaw. Purcellville Library, Robey Meeting Room. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

Mon., Jan. 16th at 7 p.m. -- "Hidden Treasures in the Sharpsburg Library,” presented by Sharpsburg librarian Barb Twigg.  While checking their collection of Civil War books, she discovered some signed by Civil War soldiers.  One had given three books to the librarian, Katherine Adams, daughter of Charles Adams, who was superintendent of the National Cemetery in town.  Barb researched the connections between the soldiers and the Sharpsburg community during and after the war.  Intrigue and murder became part of the story.    
The Keedysville Historical Society will be meeting at St. Peter's Lutheran Church at 53 N. Main St., Keedysville,  with parking and entrance at the back of the church.  The meeting is free and open to the public so please come and bring your friends.  Light refreshments will be served.  The meeting will be cancelled if a snow event cancels schools.  If questions, please call Sue Gemeny at 301-432-8216.  

Wed., Jan. 18, at 11:30  - 12:30 p.m. – “Little-Known Facts About the American Civil War.” Author Bob O'Connor shares interesting details that even Civil War buffs may not know, like the fact that Robert E. Lee was not a citizen of the U.S. when he died. Brambleton Library, Meeting Room A. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

Thurs., Jan. 19, at 6:00 p.m. -- Lecture: The Byrd Machine in Virginia (livestream).  Sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond. Join author and journalist Michael Lee Pope as he traces the history of Harry Byrd’s conservative political organization, which ran Virginia politics for more than half a century. This lecture will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube (no registration required to view the livestream).

Mon., Jan. 23, at 6:00  - 8:00 p.m. – Movie Night: Selma. Middleburg Library, Meeting Room. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library. 

Tues., Jan. 24, at 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. -- “The Real Miracle at Valley Forge: George Washington’s Political Mastery”  (in-person and online).  Throughout the punishing winter at Valley Forge, Gen. George Washington preserved the Continental Army while also forging it into an effective fighting force. This achievement not only reflected military leadership but also deft political action that allowed the commander-in-chief both to repel an attempt to supersede him and to command the congressional and national support he needed to remake the army. Historian David O. Stewart examines Washington’s masterful navigation of politics and leadership during the daunting 1777-1778 winter encampment. Sponsored by American Revolution Institute, Anderson House, Washington DC.  Register here.

Thurs., Jan. 26 from 6:30–8 p.m. -- Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778  (Online & Onsite). Author and historian Dr. Ricardo A. Herrera will discuss his extensive new book on the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge titled, Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778. Sponsored by the Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia.  The program will be held in the Museum’s Liberty Hall and will be broadcast live via Zoom.  Online access $15. Register here.

Sat., Jan. 28, at 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. – “Sunstroke and Ankle-Deep Mud.”  Historian Jim Lewis shares a little-known Civil War story of the arduous journey the Union's II Corps took across Northern Virginia on their way to Gettysburg. A trip so horrendous it is hard to believe that a great battle could have occurred. Rust Library, Large Meeting Room. Sponsored by Loudoun County Public Library.