CIVIL WAR VICTORY CELEBRATION
                  Saturday May 1, 2010



Sponsored by Dr. W.Timothy Weaver
and the Rowlesburg Area Historical Society (RAHS).

For more details contact wtcweaver@yahoo.com


The West Virginia Reenactors Association

will have up to 40 Union,
Confederate and civilian reenactors in Rowlesburg on Saturday, May 1^st.

Union and Confederate camps will be set up in the Rowlesburg Park with tents, straw for bedding, campfires, and hay and water for horses. Camps will be as authentic to 1863 camps as possible, with little or no modern conveniences.

Visitors are welcome to tour the campsites all day on Saturday.

 

Reenactors will be supplied with black powder for their weapons and the weapons will be fired during the reenactment.

During the battle reenactment, Union soldiers will be barricaded behind railroad ties to defend the railroad bridge against Confederate soldiers intent on destroying the main link of the B&O to the Ohio. Weapons will be fired during the reenactment. The Rebels will fail just as they did in 1863. There will be casualties.
In addition, cannons will be fired, one possibly stationed atop Cannon Hill to announce the beginning of the Battle of Rowlesburg at 2 pm.
For more information about the Reenactment visit http://www.wvra.org.

                          


LADIES TEA

Saturday at 11 am in the Christ United Methodist Church Hall.

Dress code is formal (hat and gloves) or period (Civil War).

Tickets : $5.00 per person

Reservation recommended: Pat Mick 304-454-2442 or Maryellen Wiles 304-454-9656


CIVIL WAR BANQUET

Saturday at 5 pm at the Ambulance Building.

Fundraiser for the Rowlesburg Voluntary Ambulance Service (RVAS).

A special menu will be served by Maxime’s, the Preston County Inn’s restaurant.

The menu below offers a gourmet's treat!

Sliced Roast Beef "Au Jus"
Sliced roasted Rurkey w/gravy
Mashed Potatoes with Garlic & Herbs
Yams
Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Spring Vegetables
Homemade Biscuits with Honey
Garden Salad
Homemade Apple Cobbler With Real Whipped Cream

The after dinner speaker, Dr. Mike Workman, formerly of WVU and now teaching at Fairmont State University, is an additional treat. Dr. Workman was commissioned two years ago to research and write the definitive history of the Battle of Rowlesburg as part of a State funded project to develop Cannon Hill. The result, "Worth to Me an Army," is now in book form and be purchased from the Rowlesburg Area Historical Society. The title of the book comes from a quote by Robert E. Lee who was speaking about the importance of destroying of the railroad bridges crossing Cheat Valley. Dr. Workman will focus on the significance of the battle to preserve the rail line.

Tickets for the banquet and bingo: $16.00 - call Kathy Sines at 304-454-9391 ASAP.
Tickets are also available at the Clear Mountain Bank in Rowlesburg and Kingwood.

BIG BUCKS BINGO will immediately follow the banquet.


BUCKWHEAT BREAKFAST

Sunday May 2nd at the VFW Post 3008 between 8 am - 1 pm

The celebration is topped off on Sunday morning, May 2nd with breakfast served by the wonderful chefs of the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary.

Tickets are sold at the door and proceeds benefit the Relay for Life program.


CHURCH SERVICE

A Civil War ecumenical service will be held at 11am at the Christ United Methodist Church

__________________________________________________

What is all of this celebrating about?

On April 26, 1863, a handful of determined Union troops and Rowlesburg townspeople defeated the Confederate Raiders led by General W.E. Jones, who was handpicked by Robert E. Lee to destroy the B&O Railroad link to the Ohio. Lee would say that to destroy the Cheat River Bridge alone would be “worth to him an army.” To the Federal side preserving "Lincoln's Lifeline" was of equal importance. The bridges crossing Cheat River and Tray Run in Rowlesburg were critical to both sides because their destruction would halt rail traffic all the way to the Ohio.

 

Jones was defeated utterly at Rowlesburg although his troops far outnumbered the small band of defenders. Jones would retreat and move on toward Fairmont, another target that would fall to the Confederate Raiders. His Raiders wrecked havoc all along their trail, but Rowlesburg was the only town or outpost in western Virginia that was a principal target of the raid to stand up to the Confederate onslaught and emerge unscathed. “Lincoln’s Lifeline” was preserved.

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COMPLETE SCHEDULE

SATURDAY MAY 1^ST

7:00 A.M.          COOL SPRINGS OPENS

8:00 A.M.          BELL’S MARKET OPENS

9:00-12:00        SCHOOL OF THE SOLDIER (PARK)

10:00 A.M.        CONCESSION STAND AT PARK OPENS

10:00 A.M.        BARRETT’S ANTIQUE SHOP OPENS (MAIN STREET)

11:00 A.M.        THIRSTY BEAR & GRILL OPEN  (MAIN STREET)

11:00 A.M.        BATTLE SITE TOURS START (LEAVE FROM AMBULANCE BUILDING)

11:00 A.M.        CANNON HILL TOURS START (LEAVE FROM DEPOT)

11:00 A.M.        RAHS MUSEUM TOURS  OPEN (ODD FELLOWS BUILDING

11:00 A.M.        DEPOT MUSEUM & CABOOSE OPEN

11:00 A.M.        RIVER CITY CAFÉ OPENS AT SZILAGYI CENTER

11:00 A.M.        MUSEUMS OPEN: WWII AND B&O RAILROAD BRIDGES AT SZILAGYI CENTER

NOON               LADIES TEA STARTS (CHRIST METHODIST CHURCH)

1:00 A.M.          THE CURIOSITY SHOPPE OPENS (CORNER MAIN & BUFFALO STREETS)

2:00 P.M.          REENACTMENT BATTLE OF ROWLESBURG STARTS (PARK)

4:00 P.M           TOURS OF CANNON HILL & BATTLE SITES END

5:00 P.M.          CIVIL WAR BANQUET STARTS (AMBULANCE BUILDING)

6:00 P.M.          BANQUET SPEAKER DR.MICHAEL WORKMAN

7:00 P.M.          BIG BUCKS BINGO STARTS (AMBULANCE BUILDING)

SUNDAY MAY 2^ND

8:00 A.M           BIG BUCKWHEAT CAKE BREAKFAST VFW BUILDING           

9:00-11:00        SCHOOL OF THE SOLDIER

11:00 A.M.        SPECIAL SERVICES AT CHRIST METHODIST CHURCH

12:00 NOON      GRILLED CHICKEN DINNERS START IN THE PARK

12:00 NOON      BIG MUD BOG CONTEST STARTS (BEHIND NEW FIRE STATION)

12:00-1:30        REGISTRATION FOR 5K RACE (FIREMAN’S PAVILION AT THE PARK)

2:00 P.M.          5K RACE STARTS IN THE PARK