|
The West Virginia Mason-Dixon Civil War Round Table meets at The Village at Heritage Point at 7:00 pm every third Tuesday of each month. All Civil War buffs are encouraged to attend and enjoy the presentations and the camaraderie. Our speaker for the March, 2009 meeting is Joseph Obidzinski. His bio is: Education: B.A., History, Grand Valley State University, May 2006; Candidate for M.A., History with a concentration in Public History, West Virginia University, May 2010. Current Employment: Researching and interpreting the Battle of Fredericksburg in the creation of a digital and interactive online battlefield map (in conjunction with Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and West Virginia University); Seasonal/intermittent ranger/ interpreter at FSNMP. Past Employment: Interpretation intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (May 2007-May 2008); Historical intern, “Remembering the Crossings: The Committee to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade” (Oct. 2006-May 2007); Collections intern, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (Jan. 2007-April 2007); Assistant Curatorial intern, Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum (Sept. 2006-December 2006). Publications/Major Projects: Creator, Online exhibit on the Underground Railroad in Wheeling, West Virginia (2008). He will be talk about the efforts of five graduate students (including myself) under the direction of Dr. Peter Carmichael who are attempting preserve and interpret the Civil War battlefield at Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The team aims to bolster existing efforts to preserve and protect the primary lands associated with the Battle of Shepherdstown, which occurred on September 19th and 20th, 1862, through the nomination of the battlefield to the National Register of Historic Places. It also seeks to broaden public awareness about the battle, its historical significance and the physical landscapes associated with the battle through the development both of walking trails and an interpretive “podcast tour” of the battlefield. As a significant rearguard action that involved over 9,000 troops, incurred 677 casualties and effectively ended Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign, the Battle of Shepherdstown is an important Civil War engagement that requires further study, interpretation and publicity. His talk will provide a brief overview of the battlefield itself, some explanation of their efforts concerning the “podcast tour” and the nomination process. He will conclude with what their goals are as a result of these efforts and how the Mason-Dixon Civil War Round Table’s generous donations have contributed.
|
Meetings 
