Call for Civil War Memorabilia

As part of our commemoration, BCHS is developing a Military Archives for the Civil War so that future generations will have the documentation needed in one central location in Bedford County.

The Society is requesting that all descendants of Bedford County Civil War Veterans who have memorabilia such as pensions, photos, GAR documentation, obituaries, etc. to share them with the Historical Society. Items or copies of items may be loaned or donated to the Society.

An example of the sort of information that we would like to preserve is the information that we have about James Madison Nevitt. Click here to see a photo of him, a photo of his grave marker, and transcripts of letters he wrote home while in the army during the Civil War.

Our purpose over the next five years is to collect as much material as possible regarding Bedford County's participation in the Civil War. Besides recognizing and commemorating those who were called to serve in the military, we hope to show through newspaper reports and diaries what happened here at home. The political battles between the Democrats and Republicans within Bedford County were fought in the streets everyday. Newspaper articles and letters to the editor appeared every week about the dissension between the groups, the Democrats were referred to as "Copperheads" and the Republicans as "Abolitionists." One such incident here led to a barn burning in St. Clair and Napier Township.

If you have memorabilia associated with the Civil War, please contact us about donating a copy to the Historical Society.