For prices and itinerary:

Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours
100 Lincoln Way East
Chambersburg, PA 17201
www.chambersburgcivilwarseminars.org
chaden@chambersburg.org
(717) 264-7101

2009 Seminars Begin with Focus on John Brown - Press Release

“In the Footsteps of John Brown Seminar & Tour” will be the first of three seminars offered by Chambersburg Civil War Seminars in 2009.

The seminar on Brown will be presented April 3-5 at the Four Points Sheraton in Chambersburg, Pa. The seminar will include a tour of Brown’s raid sites, in Chambersburg and elsewhere, led by historians Dennis Frye and Ted Alexander. Author and historian Brian Steel Wills also will give a presentation on John Brown and his depiction in cinema. There will be presentations on Brown’s activities in Chambersburg and his mental state, too. An optional tour will include Underground Railroad sites in the greater Chambersburg area, and a visit to a historic African-American cemetery.

The year 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of Brown’s raid on the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Frye, chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, said, “The John Brown Raid is looked upon by most historians as being the spark which became the inferno of the American Civil War.”

Chambersburg is where Brown planned the raid and where those who survived the raid returned. Chambersburg is also where Brown, a militant abolitionist, met with Frederick Douglass to tell him of his plans.

The John Brown House in Chambersburg played a key role in history.

The John Brown House, where Brown and his men stayed, survived the burning of Chambersburg by Confederate soldiers in July 1864. Chambersburg is the only town north of the Mason-Dixon Line that was burned by Confederates during the war.

The John Brown House, 225 E. King St., Chambersburg, is reopening in May 2009 after renovations are complete.

The John Brown sesquicentennial has been named a Top 100 Event for 2009 by the American Bus Association. Numerous special events are planned for 2009, including re-enactments and ranger-conducted programs. A new Web site (hosted by the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau but promoting the entire four-state area) has a complete listing of events at www.johnbrownraid.org.

Tom Riford, president and CEO of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “This event is more than just about one town or one county, and it is certainly historic that a coalition of four states is working together to promote our entire area and the events that happened during the time that John Brown was here in 1859.”

“Franklin County is proud to be part of the quad-state initiative commemorating the 1859 activities of John Brown. John Brown’s northern headquarters of Franklin County will be vividly depicted in the Chambersburg Civil War seminar, as well as in the rededication of the John Brown House and events related to his meeting with Frederick Douglass,” said Janet Pollard, director of tourism for the Franklin County Visitors Bureau.

The Chambersburg seminars are coordinated by Alexander, chief historian at Antietam National Battlefield. For more information on the seminar, contact Cindy Baker at (717) 264-7101 or see the Web site, http://www.chambersburgcivilwarseminars.org. Costs vary depending on the sessions attended. Price includes motor coach transportation for guided tours, seminar materials and some meals.