Category: Civil War
Havelock – A Fleeting Fashion
By Grace Murphy, AmeriCorps Preservation Associate 2025-26 The havelock in the Beverly Heritage Center collection belonged to Hugh Patterson Boon. Mr. Boon enlisted with Company E 12th Pennsylvania Infantry on April 25, 1861 and mustered out on August 5, 1861. Two years later on September 1, 1863, he was commissioned as 1st Lieutenant of Company B, 1st West Virginia Cavalry, later becoming the captain. On April 6, 1865, he captured a flag at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, the last major battle between the armies led by Generals Lee and Grant and the largest surrender of Confederate soldiers.1 Mr.…
Laura Jackson Arnold
Laura Jackson Arnold and her famous older brother were very close until the Civil War intruded in their lives. Laura was a staunch and unapoligetic supporter of the Union, while her brother became one of the most beloved generals in the Confederate Army. Their relationship was destroyed by the war, and they never saw each other again. General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.
Northwestern Virginia In 1861: The First Campaign
Upon the outbreak of Civil War in 1861, the Staunton-Parkersburg Pike was a vital link between the heart of Virginia and its western counties, as well as a gateway to the B&O Railroad. Richmond was anxious to hold onto all of its territory, and sent Col. George Porterfield to hold northwestern Virginia for the south. The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, and its connecting pikes to the north and south, gave the South access into the mountain territory to strike at the railroad. As Virginia moved towards secession from the Union, many in the far western counties were determined to stay in the…
The 1854 Bushrod Crawford House
This house, on a part of original town lot #4, was built about 1850. It was the home of Bushrod Crawford, who also operated a store in the western wing of the building with his brother Absalom. Bushrod Crawford ran against John Hughes in February of 1861 as Delegate to the State Convention to be held in Richmond, Va. Bushrod favored secession; Hughes did not. Hughes was elected, but changed his mind at the convention to vote for secession. Bushrod and his brother, Absalom, and their families fled south, as many others did, in July of 1861, leaving the store…