Today's History Events in the Valley

Today I had a busy day because there were two events that I wanted to attend: a genealogy workshop at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and an annual ceremony at the Lincoln Family Cemetery. I wound up going to the morning session at the museum and then driving south for an hour to the Lincoln event.

While at the museum I took time to tour the new exhibit on photographer Hugh Morrison. His work was good and particularly interesting are his portraits of people dressed in work clothes, often dirty or ragged but still photographed with dignity.

I've intended to go to the annual Lincoln ceremony for several years but snowy weather and other obligations interfered. The event takes place even when it snows, but driving in snow and standing outside in bitter cold weather are not things I enjoy. Today the snow was mostly gone and the temperatures were above freezing so I didn't want to miss the opportunity. It was windy though.

I'm glad I went. The talk was interesting. I've stopped at the old Lincoln farm before but had not been up to the cemetery. President Lincoln's ancestors lived at the property, which lies between Broadway and Harrisonburg along Harpine Highway, Route 42.

Links: Lincoln Society of Virginia

2007 Lecture about Photographer Hugh Morrison