On February 26, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., the Prince William County Historic Preservation Division along with the Prince William – Manassas – Manassas Park Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee are hosting a lecture titled “The Newby Family and Harper's Ferry 1859”.  The lecture will be held at the Old Manassas Courthouse in Manassas, VA.

Historian Dr. Philip Schwarz will present the dramatic account of Dangerfield and Harriet Newby.  This touching story highlights the sad effects slavery had on African-American families and Dangerfield’s desperate attempts to free his wife which led to his prominent role in John Brown’s Harpers Ferry Raid in 1859.  The Newby family had local connections in the Brentsville and Warrenton areas.  The lecture is free and open to the public.  Call ahead if inclement weather is in the forecast. The Old Manassas Courthouse is located at 9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas, VA.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the Prince William-Manassas-Manassas Park Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.  The committee is part of a state-wide effort to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.   

For more information, please call (703) 365-7895 or email rorrison@pwcgov.org.