The Battle of Shepherdstown is getting some great recognition in part due to our preservation efforts. Two of our Board members are speaking: Dr. Tom McGrath and Kevin Pawlak.

Please consider attending this insightful event!

Dr. Mike Nickerson
President
Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District’s 2026 National Civil War Conference will focus on the battles in West Virginia in the fall of 1862 including Harper’s Ferry, Shepherdstown, and the action in the Kanawha Valley.

The conference will include talks, special events, and battlefield tours, all featuring the finest historians in the nation, including Dennis Frye, Kevin Pawlak, Dana Shoaf, and more!

Visit the Conference web page for the schedule, cost, hotel, registration information, and booking form: 2026 National Conference — Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District

On December 11/25 our Board member Dr. Tom McGrath is speaking in Hagerstown! Please consider attending to show your support for the battlefield.

Note dinner reservations are due by December 4 (sorry for the short notice).

Hope to see you there.

Dr. Mike Nickerson

We got a plaque restored!  It’s back and looks great!  One more to go to cover this year’s losses.  Let’s keep an eye out in case the thieves show up again.

Elizabeth and I were just discussing this earlier today.

There is hope!  Happy holidays!

Mike

Dr Mike Nickerson, SBPA President

Download the SBPA Self-Guided Driving Tour Brochure and Battle Map. The battle is of significant historical value to our nation and a valuable West Virginia Landmark.

https://shepherdstownbattlefield.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tour-BrochureAug1-24.pdf

The George Tyler Moore Center at Shepherd University sponsored a tour of the battlefield led by SBPA Board member Kevin Pawlak on November 2. Great to see the attention to the battlefield.  

The GTM Center post and a few of their pictures are below:

We were delighted to hike the bluffs of the Potomac with Kevin Pawlak yesterday for his “Up the Bluffs” tour of the Battle of Shepherdstown. It was a great day of history, views, and stories from the field as we gained new perspectives on this important engagement.

On October 12, Dr. Nickerson filmed a kestrel eating a bird on the Osbourn Farm!  We installed 2 kestrel nesting boxes last year (2024)! What a great success! 

Thanks to Battlefield volunteer Steve O’Donnell @ Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association

On September 20, the SBPA continued the Battle Anniversary by hosting a tour led by Author and Professor Tom McGrath.  Dr. McGrath led 28 hardy participants and continued where the Ford crossing tour ended by heading up the bluffs to the ridge where the Union 118th PA faced Confederate Pender’s Brigade.  Then we followed the Union retreat to the Cement Mill kilns and Mill dam. What a great hike. Great job Tom!

On the morning of Saturday, September 20, on the day of the week and date of the battle, the SBPA hosted a crossing of the Packhorse Ford.  The crossing was led by SBPA Board member Kevin Pawlak and was attended by 30 participants, who were thrilled with the crossing. 

Great job Kevin and congratulations to all the forders!

On September 16, SBPA President Mike Nickerson had the pleasure of hosting James S. Osbourn, namesake of the owner of the 1848 Osbourn Farm.  We visited the Osbourn Farm, family graves in the Elmwood Cemetery, and nearby farms owned by the family in the 1700s. The family obtained land grants from Lord Fairfax for farms on Ridge Road.

Thank you for your generous donation Mr. Osbourn!

History worth learning!

Our Battlefield Clean-Up on September 13/25:  In preparation for the events planned for the Battle Anniversary on September 20, we had a great group of volunteers.  We picked up trash, removed downed trees, mowed, weed wacked and maintained the walking trails.

Thanks to all the volunteers who participated and our donors who fund these efforts.