If you are interested in U.S. history, you won't want to miss this event. On Saturday, June 17, the Kernstown Battlefield will celebrate the recent addition of 37 acres of the important hallowed ground known as Sandy Ridge.
Since 2016 the Kernstown Battlefield Association (KBA), in conjunction with the American Battlefield Trust, has been working to obtain this piece of land, so very crucial to the Kernstown Battlefield. At last we are now able to open it to the public. Prior to now, KBA tour guides could only point to the Sandy Ridge skyline and indicate to visitors that “Over there is where the Confederate army deployed to receive the Union army attack.” Now "over there" is available for your inspection!
For the first time in over one hundred years, you will have the opportunity to walk where brave soldiers from both the Southern and Northern armies, some of whom may have been your ancestors, walked, fought, and too often died for their respective causes.
The Kernstown Battlefield will be open on June 17 from 10:00am through 4:00pm for this special dedication day. A food truck will be on site for lunch purchases. The day’s agenda includes:
- 10:30am: Presentation by noted author, History Professor Jonathan Noyalas of Shenandoah University.
- 11:30am: Presentation by preservationist Keven Walker, CEO of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.
- 12:30pm – 3:30pm: Shuttle-van docent-lead tours of Sandy Ridge property begin and run through 3:30pm.
- 1:15pm: Cannon firing demonstrations on both Pritchard’s Hill and Sandy Ridge to recreate the artillery duel of the First Battle of Kernstown on March 23, 1862.
- 10:00am – 4:00pm: All-day tours of the antebellum Pritchard House, a Civil War hospital, herbal medicine displays, artillery museum and the Visitor Center.
Please register below to attend the speaker presentations. There is no entry fee to the battlefield but we encourage and appreciate donations to help with battlefield donations.
The Kernstown Battlefield is located at 610 Battle Park Drive, Winchester, Virginia.