KBA members enjoyed a tour of Second Kernstown conducted by Scott Patchan.

Here they are at historic "Springdale" one of the stops on the tour.

Off-Property Tour of 2nd Kernstown Sites

Caps Off KBA’s Annual Membership Meeting

      For its 2009 membership meeting, the KBA board of directors elected to host the members at a catered lunch in our own Activities Building on the battlefield. The excellent lunch was donated by board member Tom Sullivan. Our special thanks go to Tom. The conversations before and during lunch between members were interesting, the food was great and the September 12 weather was perfect. President Gary Crawford gave the members a page-long list of the many improvements and activities accomplished by our volunteers this year. 
     During the meeting the Association members unanimously re-elected the following board members to 3-year terms:  Donna Crawford, Don Gardner, Scott Gregory, Scott Patchan and Dr. David Powers.  (The board consists of 15 members, 5 of whom are elected each year for 3-year terms.)
     Following the meeting a number of the attendees were treated to a unique "off-property" tour of significant Second Kernstown battle sites. The tour was led by author and board member Scott Patchan who conducted our members to points away from our own core battle site and which are seldom visited by tours.  Scott's vast repertoire of Civil War history, both military and civilian, made for a most interesting afternoon and helped all of us to better understand how the 1864 battle unfolded. The tour certainly became a highlight of the annual event.

KBA Meets its 2009 Goals

A Message from President Gary Crawford

         The year 2009 has been a "forward" year for the Kernstown Battlefield Association as we continued to meet our mission objectives.  You'll note from other articles in this newsletter, we've preserved more interior areas of the Pritchard House and protected it by repointing the west "weather" side of the brick home. The KBA also had an architectural engineering firm closely examine the building and they've given us a very positive report on its overall good condition. They noted, however, the need for repairs to the northern basement wall.
 A new "Artillery Room" in the Visitor Center has been completed (page 3) and new steps added to the granary.
         Another part of our mission is to present the historic farm/battlefield to the public and we've been gratified by the numbers of individuals and groups taking the opportunity to absorb the almost 300 years of recorded history there.  Several retired military and "think tank" groups as well as Civil War roundtable groups have been greatly impressed by the pristine appearance of the property allowing them the opportunity to better visualize the historic events that occurred there.  In August we had a British Civil War Roundtable group come in to study and view firsthand the terrain that dominated both battles.  And, as part of the outreach to the community, the farm has provided a wonderful venue for cross country track events for the Shenandoah University and Handley  High School and a special 5-K event to benefit Heart Haven.
         As you can see, your support and participation in the KBA has made it possible for the current generation --- both from the U.S. and abroad --- to experience and understand the special history of the Kernstown battlefield and Pritchard-Grim farm. Our heartfelt thanks for your continued support.

Artillery Room Opens

in the Visitor Center

     The KBA Visitor Center was running out of display area and we were looking at options to give us more space. Adjoining the Visitor Center was a room we referred to as our "work room" inasmuch as it had a workbench and some dilapidated shelves etc.  Mostly it was a storage room for tools and other materials.  Now, after being totally cleared out, cleaned, painted, security bars added to the windows and a doorway cut allowing access from the Visitor Center, we now have what we are calling the "Artillery Room".  In it we currently display a smoothbore cannon of the type used by the Confederate army and we'll soon have a second rifled cannon as used primarily by the Union army.  We have plans to obtain additional accoutrements to fill out the artillery displays for our visitors. As an added but unanticipated benefit, the light flooding through the large Artillery Room windows also surges through the new doorway into the Visitor Center making that room much brighter as well.

The reproduction barrel was placed onto our cannon carriage in March 2009 and is now in place in the newly opened "Artillery Room" of the Visitor Center

KBA's All-Volunteer

Grounds Crew Gets Equipped

SVBF Grant Awarded to KBA for

Historic Structures Report

           Earlier this year the KBA applied for and received an $8,000 grant from the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation for a much needed Historic Structures Report on our 1854 Pritchard House. The report itself will thoroughly research the history of the house, its architectural details, and it will give us recommendations for future preservation, rehabilitation or restoration. Over the coming year we'll have gained a much better understanding of this fine old home. And, additionally, with the solid information base supplied by the report we'll be able to apply for further grants to help carry on the preservation of the house.