Table Of Content

Presidents of the Augusta County Historical Society *Dr. Richard P. Bell, 1964-1966 *Harry Lee Nash, Jr., 1966-1967 *Dr. Marshall M. Brice, 1967-1968 *Dr. James Sprunt, 1968-1970 *Richard M. Hamrick, Jr., 1970-1972 +Joseph B.Yount III, 1972-1974 *Mrs. William Bushman, 1974-1976 *John M. Dunlap, Jr., 1976-1977 Miss Mary Kathryn Blackwell, 1977-1979 Mrs. Harry D. Hevener, 1979-1981 John M. McChesney, Jr., 1981-1983 Mrs. John E. True, 1983-1985 Edgar R. Coiner, 1985-1987 Charles R. Chittum, 1987-1989 *Mrs. William B. Patterson, 1989-1991 *R. Fontaine McPherson, Jr., 1991-1993 Dr. James B. Patrick, 1993-1995 Dr. Ann McCleary, 1995-1997 Dr. Katharine L. Brown, 1997-1999 Nancy T. Sorrells, 2000-2001 Mary Beirne Nutt, 2002-2003 Dr. Kenneth Keller, 2004-2005 Linda Petzke, 2006-2007 Dr. Katharine L. Brown, 2008-2011 *Charter Member of Society +Honorary Charter Member Augusta Historical Bulletin Published by the AUGUSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Founded 1964 Post Office Box 686 Staunton, Virginia 24402-0686 www.augustacountyhs.org VOLUME 47 2011 Copyright 2011 by the Augusta County Historical Society ISSN: 0571-8899 Copies of this annual issue go to all members 550 copies printed by Mid Valley Press Verona, Virginia A purpose of the Augusta County Historical Society is to publish the Augusta Historical Bulletin which is to be sent without charge to all members. The membership of the society is composed of members who pay the following dues: Membership renewal notices are sent out based on the month in which you joined the society. Annual (individual).............................................................$35 Annual (family).....................................................................$50 Annual Institutional.............................................................$35 NOTICE It is urgent that the society be promptly notified of changes of address. Bulletins which cannot be delivered by the postal service will not be forwarded due to high postage rates. Augusta County Historical Society P.O. Box 686 Staunton, VA 24402-0686 540-248-4151 www.augustacountyhs.org Augusta County Historical Society office and research library are located on the third floor of the R.R. Smith Center for History and Art at 20 South New Street, Staunton, VA 24401. A parking garage is located across the street. Cover design and historical society logo by Cheryl Lyon Contents Virginia's Secession Convention Compiled by Dr. Edward Ayers.....................................Page 1 Why did Upper Valley voters shift allegiance in 1861? By Dr. Daniel A. Métraux.................................................Page 9 The West Virginia story By Bobby L. Arrington...................................................Page 14 Making history come alive...the Woodrow Presidential Library By Beth Huffer..................................................................Page 25 Staunton in Days of Yore Located and transcribed by Richard M. Hamrick Jr....Page 40 Vermont soldiers find death and suffering in Virginia By Dr. Daniel A. Métraux...............................................Page 48 In his own words: The Miracle of Sight: An Interview with Ray Houser By Donald W. Houser Jr.................................................Page 52 Some nineteenth-century Irish in Augusta County & Life along the tracks By Kevin Donleavy................................................Page 62 & 66 Information about St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Provided by St. Francis..................................................Page 74 Interesting findings in the Augusta County court records Compiled by Greg Crawford & Library of Virginia staff....Page 79 Book Reviews (By Daniel A. Métraux) Regional and Virginia History 1) Warren Hofstra and Karl Raitz, eds., The Great Valley Road....................................................................Page 122 2) Edward Ayers and Carolyn Martin, eds., America on the eve of the Civil War............................................Page 124 -- iii -- 3) Mark Snell, West Virginia and the Civil War........Page 127 4) Scott Patchan, The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid.....................................................................Page 129 5) Laten Ervin Bechtel with Susie King, "That's Just the Way It Was"............................................................Page 130 Revolutionary War Era 6) Michael Kranish, Flight from Monticello..............Page 132 7) Jack Rakove, Revolutionaries.................................Page 134 8) Maya Jasanoff, Liberty's Exiles......................................Page 136 Civil War Era 9) Adam Goodheart, 1861: The Civil War Awakening.....Page 138 10) [Review by Ralph Ruedy] Gary Gallagher, The Union War......................................................................Page 140 11) Eric Foner, The Fiery Trial...............................................................Page 142 12) James Swanson, Bloody Crimes...........................Page 144 13) Kate Clifford Larson, The Assassin's Accomplice.....Page 145 Post Civil War through World War I 14) H.W. Brands, American Colossus.........................Page 146 15) Edmund Morris, Colonel Roosevelt....................Page 148 16) James Chace, 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs...............................................................Page 150 17) Evan Thomas, The War Lovers..............................Page 151 18) Ernest Freeberg, Democracy's Prisoner...............Page 153 Index...........................................................................................Page 155 ACHS officers............................................................................Page 172 Family Heritage Program........................................................Page 173 ACHS books for sale.................................................................Page 174 -- iv -- Augusta Historical Bulletin: Editorial Policy The editors of the Augusta Historical Bulletin welcome submissions relating to any topic or period in the history of Augusta County, Virginia, and its wider environs. Submissions may take the form of articles, research notes, edited documents, or indexes to historical documents. Other formats might be acceptable, but prospective authors of such submissions are encouraged to consult with a member of the editorial board. With rare exceptions, the Bulletin does not publish manuscripts that focus exclusively on genealogical matters. Authors should strive to make their contributions accessible to a broad readership. In matters of form and style, authors should ad- here to the guidelines and strictures set forth in the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed., or Kate L. Turabian, et al., A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., both of which are widely available in libraries and bookstores. A style sheet, prepared by the editors of the Bulletin, is available upon request. Authors should submit four double-spaced copies of their manuscripts, with endnotes where applicable, and include photocopies of any illustrations. Upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication, authors must provide an electronic copy of it, as well as publishable-quality illustrations. Manuscripts or requests for style sheets should be sent to: The Augusta County Historical Society, Attention: Bulletin Editors, P.O. Box 686, Staunton, Virginia 24402-0686. Please try to submit pro- posed manuscripts by June 1, 2011. Queries may also be sent to: Nancy Sorrells ([email protected]) or Katharine Brown ([email protected]). Virginia's Secession Convention The Staunton delegates speak Compiled by Dr. Edward Ayers Editor’s Note: Dr. Edward Ayers, President of the University of Rich- mond, was the guest speaker at the Augusta County Historical Soci- ety banquet held May 10, 2011, at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center. Dr. Ayers discussed Virginia's Secession Conven- tion in 1861 and, in particular, the leading role played by Augusta County's delegates. As a follow-up for the Bulletin he offers these extracts of speeches from Staunton delegates during the secession debates. A complete picture of Virginia's Secession Convention, in- cluding transcriptions of all the speeches, can be found at http:// collections.richmond.edu/secession/. Virginia and the Crisis of Union On February 13, 1861, delegates representing all counties in Vir- ginia met to decide how the state would respond to recent events, especially Abraham Lincoln’s election and South Carolina’s secession. They voted to remain in the Union and hoped that a compro- mise could be reached to defuse the situation. Two months later, the same men voted to secede from the United States, sparking a radi- cally different war than might otherwise have taken place. Secession: Virginia and the Crisis of Union links the fully transcribed text of these debates with a wealth of contextual information, giving users the tools to ask why the men who brought the war into their own counties and neighborhoods did so. (From the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab) The following are speeches by Staunton delegates George Baylor and John Baldwin show the intensity of debate at this convention. George Baylor, February 28 Mr. BAYLOR, of Augusta I desire, Mr. President, to say a few words upon the question now before this body. I am not known as a public man. I am a very obscure individual, I admit, but for all that, I do not hail from an obscure place. I am from the town of Staunton, in the county of Augusta; and the county of Augusta is within an inch of the cen- tre of the Commonwealth of Virginia. I am glad to see that almost -1-