Highland
Historical Society

Highland County, VA

Est. 1847

Settled ca. 1745

P.O. Box 63

McDowell, VA 24458

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Every other year, on the first weekend in May, the small village of McDowell, Virginia, transforms itself and reappears as it was in May of 1862. The Highland Historical Society and the Highland County Chamber of Commerce sponsor The McDowell Battlefield Heritage Days.  The event draws re-enactors (by invitation only) and visitors from all over the United States. Its value as living history was formally recognized in 1999 by the Library of Congress, which designated the event as a "Local Legacy."

As the "Federal troops" occupy the village, "local townspeople" interact with the "occupiers." Events include:

• Living history and Battle of McDowell Re-enactments
• Lectures & readings by well-known Civil War authors
• Talks on the Civil War era (everyday life, its medicine, the role of women, Civil War dress and manners, anecdotal stories of Civil War era personalities)
• Horse-drawn wagon tours of the military camps
• Craft demonstrations such as blacksmithing, quilting, churning and weaving all center at the historic McDowell Presbyterian Church.