Students in Dr. Keith Alexander’s Introduction to Historic Preservation class will be conducting a living history program on Halloween evening at the Shepherd family cemetery on New Street in Shepherdstown.  The students will portray members of the town’s founding family, and visitors will be able to enter the historic graveyard and talk with the local historical figures.

Shepherdstown residents live in an area rich in history.  From its colonial roots as the town of Mecklenburg to its strategic importance during the Civil War, the history of Shepherdstown is significant but often overlooked.  The goal of this event is to present this history with a Halloween backdrop.  “I think it’s important for Shepherdstown residents to know the history of their town” said Kyle Pfalzer, a Shepherd University history major who is helping organize the event. “It’s hard to go anywhere in the area and not run into something historical.”

Visitors to the cemetery on Halloween will be able to interact with several Shepherdstown residents from different eras, from Revolutionary War heroes to civilians who had to endure the hardships of living in an active war zone during the Civil War.  Shepherdstown’s role in the Civil War is of particular interest because it saw many armies move through and several battles fought nearby, most notably the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862.  Shepherdstown became a hospital for the retreating Confederate army under Robert E. Lee after the ferocious battle was fought just across the river.

Life before and after the Civil War will also be portrayed.  Visitors will be able to meet a resident from when Shepherdstown was still in the state of Virginia, and was more like the world of Gone with the Wind.  Cultural changes after the Civil War such as the freeing of the area’s slaves and the establishment of the Freedman’s Bureau will also be represented.

The program will run from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Halloween night, October 31st, at the Shepherd family cemetery on New Street, between King and Church Streets.