From John Hennessy, NPS:
In 2002 we had an idea that had more than a few of us squarely in the camp of skeptics: 90-minute Friday night walks focused on either new sites, new stories, or fresh angles on familiar sites. We weren’t sure that anyone would show up at the conclusion of a busy week of commuting or at the end of a long day of touring the battlefields or the area. But, we decided to try it out. On Friday June 14, 2002, I stood on the front steps of the library on Caroline Street, ready to give a tour through the streets of Fredericksburg (War Means Anguish, War Means Freedom: The Civilian Experience in Fredericksburg) but without a clue if anyone would come. They did…93 came along as we walked Princess Anne, Lewis, and Charles Streets. Over the next ten weeks we gave five different programs (each repeated once) that drew 1,143 visitors–an average of 114 per week.
- Donald Pfanz at Chatham, 2006
This coming Friday night (June 11) we commence our ninth year of HaS with a program by Frank O’Reilly that will explore the site of Bernard’s slave cabins and Latimer’s Knoll. The series has succeeded beyond anyone’s reckoning. If all goes as expected, somewhere around week 7 or 8 or we will count our 10,000th visitor to the series. Through 2010, we will have done 96 programs (we did sixteen in 2003—an exhausting experiment we opted not to continue–which accounts for the unbalanced number). Of those, 58 have been new, original programs either in terms of site, theme, or material. This is no small point. Putting together an entirely new program takes literally weeks of effort (we’re not born knowing this stuff, of course). But, I will say too that the knowledge gained in the preparation of these programs has been put to use in many ways–in our new films, exhibits, publications, and other live programs. I think visitors have been rewarded for the effort in many ways.
The best-attended program was the first Chatham candlelight program in 2002, with 260. The biggest number for a program in the field or on the streets is Frank O’Reilly’s and Eric Mink’s 2007 first-time walking tour of the newly preserved Slaughter Pen Farm, which attracted 211. In all, five programs have attracted more than 200 visitors. The smallest attendance came in 2004, when 28 visitors braved a torrent to join Frank O’Reilly on a tour focused on street fighting in Fredericksburg. The wildest single program was, undoubtedly, our 2006 tour of Falmouth, when to my horror at the conclusion of the program most of the crowd just streamed out across Route 1 near (not at) the Falmouth Intersection to take the shortest route back to their cars at Belmont. You’ll note we’ve not done that program again….
Our biggest year was 2006, when the programs averaged 146. Our slowest year was 2003, when we averaged 73 (thanks partly to bad luck with weather). I think the only program we’ve done that might be labeled a clunker might be the one I did, War at Our Doors: Spotsylvanians Amidst War, in the area right around Spotsylvania Courthouse in 2003. That program attracted only 39–an all-time low for programs not affected by weather.
The largest average attendance turns out for programs at Chatham; the six programs at Chatham (including candlelight tours, which always attract big crowds) have averaged 178 visitors. Tours in and around Fredericksburg average about 145. The farther you move out-of-town, the lower the averages go. Chancellorsville averages about 95 per program, Wilderness 85, and Spotsylvania more than 70. As for staff, nobody draws more people than Frank O’Reilly. Over the years, he has led 17 programs averaging 114 (including one in a torrent).
Of the 96 programs that will have been presented by the end of 2010, twenty-three will have focused dominantly on civilian themes or sites. That we have gone outside the park boundaries has without question broadened the appeal of the series, as has our focus on some broader themes of history. We are at a point where we do limited publicity for the series simply because we can’t easily handle more people than we already get without altering the things that made the series successful in the first place. How many historic sites have that kind of problem?
To my mind, History at Sunset demonstrates a couple of things about public history. First, experimentation is good; for us, this was a flying leap that worked. But more importantly, History at Sunset demonstrates the power of the people to help shape our programming. What we envisioned as an experiment has become an integral–maybe signature–part of our larger interpretive program. That happened not because we intended it so, but because the public, by virtue of its response, made it so. Rest assured, if the public hadn’t responded, we would have stopped doing it long ago. Now we’d face rebellion if we stopped (we’d be pretty disappointed too).
This year’s schedule, which you can find here, includes three new programs: Aquia Landing, Slavery and Slave Places in Fredericksburg, and Cavalry in the Streets. Beyond the break, below, is the full record of programs we have done for HaS over the years, with attendance and presenters. For those of you who have attended the programs, I’d be curious why you think the series has succeeded… And also, I’d be curious of things you’d like to see us do in coming years.
2002
June 14: War Means Anguish, War Means Freedom: The Civilian Experience in Fredericksburg — June 14. Hennessy. 93
June 21: Sunset at the Bloody Angle — June 21. Mertz. 86
June 28: A Voice of War: Following the Footsteps of Sergeant Rice C. Bull. Frye and Pfanz 56
July 5: Across the Bloody Plain: Hurkamp Park to Marye’s Heights, O’Reilly 111
July 12: War Means Anguish, War Means Freedom. Hennessy & Bryant 153
July 19: Chatham by Candlelight: Life of a House, Story of a Nation 260
July 26: Sunset at the Bloody Angle. Mertz 73
August 2: A Voice of War: Following the Footsteps of Sergeant Rice C. Bull 72
August 9: Across the Bloody Plain: Hurkamp Park to Marye’s Heights 87
August 16: Chatham by Candlelight: Life of a House, Story of a Nation 53
Total for 2002: 1,143 (Avg. 114)
2003
May 2: Chaos in the Night: the Wounding of “Stonewall” Jackson. O’Reilly & Wyckoff 146
May 10: Candlelight Tour of “Stonewall” Jackson’s Final Hours. 157
May 16: A New Way of Fighting: Upton’s Attack at Spotsylvania. Mertz (rain) 41
May 22: Chatham by Candlelight: Life of a House, Story of a Nation 165
May 30: City of Hospitals: the Aftermath of Battle. Hennessy 91
June 6: A Voice of War: Following the Footsteps of Sergeant Rice C. Bull. Frye and Pfanz 63
June 13: War at Their Doorstep: Spotsylvanians Caught Amidst War. Hennessy 39
June 20: A Candlelit Evening at Ellwood 86
June 27: War Means Anguish, War Means Freedom. Hennessy 93
July 11: Across the Bloody Plain: Hurkamp Park to Marye’s Heights. Frank O’reilly & Barton Myers 97
July 18: Battle in the Balance: A Walk in Widow Tapp’s Field. Mink and O’Reilly 65
July 25: History Unveiled: Archeology at Sunken Road and Marye’s Heights. Mink & Pfanz 115
August 1: Sunset at the Bloody Angle—Mertz & O’Grady 72
August 8: City of Hospitals: the Aftermath of Battle. Hennessy (heavy rain) 85
August 15: War at Their Doorstep: Spotsylvanians Caught Amidst War. Hennessy 52
August 22: Place of Worship, Scene of War: Old Salem Church by Candlelight 137
Total for 2003: 1504 (Avg. 94)
2004
June 11 Changing Face of War: Fighting in the Streets. O’Reilly (heavy rain) 28
June 18 Race to the Spotsylvania Crossroads: The Battle of Laurel Hill. Wyckoff 37
June 25 City of Hospitals: The Aftermath of Battle. Hennessy 133
July 2 Like Thunder from the Clear Sky: Jackson’s Flank Attack at Chancellorsville. 87
July 9 Where Valor Sleeps: Exploring Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Pfanz 93
July 16 War Comes Home: Lower Caroline Street Struggles with Slavery and War. Hennessy 111
July 23 A New Way of Fighting: Upton’s Attack at Spotsylvania. Mertz 63
July 30 Breakthrough! The Battle of Prospect Hill. O’Reilly. 145
August 6 Place of Worship, Scene of War: Old Salem Church by Candlelight. 115
August 13 War at Our Doorsteps: Spotsylvanians at War. Hennessy 52
Total 2004 731 (avg. 73)
2005
June 10: The Sunken Road Reclaimed. Frank O’Reilly and John Hennessy. 90
June 17: Widow Spindle’s Flight and a Fuss Over Fence Rails. Mac Wyckoff. 85
June 24: Ferry Farm, Pine Grove, and Stafford County in the Civil War. Hennessy. 118
July 1: A Forgotten Place Newly Discovered: Catharine Furnace to the Wellford Farm. Frye and Mink. 60
July 8 Changing Face of War: Fighting in Fredericksburg’s Streets. O’Reilly. 165
July 15: Sunset in Saunders Field. Mertz. 55.
July 22: Heroes and Homefolk: A Walk Through Fredericksburg’s City and Confederate Cemeteries. Hennessy. 130
July 29: The Haunted Woods: Voices of Hazel Grove and Fairview. Humphreys. 135.
August 5: Stonewall’s Final Battle: Jackson Shrine by Candlelight. 131
August 12: Where Valor Sleeps: Fredericksburg’s National Cemetery. Pfanz. 80
Total 2005 1049
2006
June 9 Under the Guns: The Bombardment and Looting of Fredericksburg. Hennessy 201
June 16 Fredericksburg’s Forgotten Plain: Bernard’s Cabins and Latimer’s Knoll. O’Reilly. 148
June 23 Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, and the Bloody Legions: Chatham as a Field Hospital. Pfanz. 120
June 30 Granite Shadows: A Walk Through Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery. Wyckoff. 125
July 7 Infantry and Iron in the Wilderness: Catharine Furnace to the Wellford Place. Mink & Frye. 83
July 14 The Red Badge’s Bloody Morning: Chancellorsville, May 3, and the Red Badge of Courage. Hennessy and Mertz. 140
July 21 Echoes of Struggle: Voices from the Bloody Angle. Humphreys & Living Historians. 124
July 28 An Elegant Place Bedraggled: A Walk Through Civil War Falmouth. Hennessy. 175
August 4 Ellwood by Candlelight. With Janice Frye and the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield. 145
August 11 Jackson’s Wounding by Moonlight. O’Reilly. Chancellorsville Visitor Center. 210
Total 2006 1471
2007
June 8 A Woeful Place Reborn: From Farm to Battlefield to Park—the Bloody Angle. Pfanz, Hennessy. (rained out after ten minutes) 85
June 15 Scarred Jewel: Brompton in the Swirl of War. O’Reilly, Wyckoff. 187
June 22 Horror on the Plank Road. Mertz and Hennessy. 135
June 29 In the Vortex: A Walk on the Slaughter Pen Farm. O’Reilly & Mink. 211
July 6 High Drama at a Bedraggled Place: A Walk in Widow Tapp’s Field. Mink. 86
July 13 Stonewall’s Supreme Moment: Voices from Jackson’s Flank Attack Humphreys and living historians. 135
July 20 Forgotten Places on the Bloody Plain: Exploring a Lost Battlefield. O’Reilly and Hennessy. 206
July 27 Caught in a Firestorm: May 3 and the Ordeal of the Chancellors. Frye and Mertz. 83
August 3 War on the Kenmore Ridge: An Exploration of Washington Avenue. Mink and Frye 125
August 10 Life of a House: Chatham by Candlelight. Wyckoff and Chatham volunteers. 205
Total: 1,458
2008
June 6: A Woeful Place Reclaimed: From Farm to Battlefield to Park – the Bloody Angle Hennessy 94
June 13: In the Vortex: A Walk on the Slaughter Pen Farm. Frank O’Reilly 95
June 20: Bloody Homecoming: David Kyle and the Ordeal of the Bullocks. Greg Mertz. 101
June 27: History Revealed: Civil War Secrets on the University of Mary Washington Campus. Eric Mink & Kati Singel 170
July 11: First Blood at Chancellorsville: A Walk on the May 1 Battlefield. Eric Mink. & Joe Obidzinski 106
July 18: Through the Streets, Into the Maelstrom: In the Footsteps of a Union Regiment. Frank O’Reilly & Mac Wyckoff 163
July 25: Homefolk and Heroes: A Walk through Fredericksburg’s City and Confederate Cemetery. Mac Wyckoff & Janice Frye 180
August 1: Bloody Dawn: Fairview in the Maelstrom. John Hennessy. 132
August 8: Lens on History: The Photography of the Sunken Road. Stacy Humphreys & Eric Mink. 120
August 15: Beyond the Big House: Slaves and Slavery at Chatham. John Hennessy 164
Total: 1,325
2009
June 12: Ferry Farm and Pine Grove: John Hennessy & Paul Nasca (GWF) 183
June 19: Prospect Hill: Frank O’Reilly 150
June 26: Jackson & the Germans, May 2, 1863. Eric Mink and Don Pfanz (rained out in progress) 83
July 3: This Time the Yankees Win: Marye’s Heights at Second Fredericksburg. White and Obidzinski 189
July 10: Clara Barton in Fredericksburg: Pfanz and Hennessy 192
July 17: Race to the Crossroads: Laurel Hill: Greg Mertz. 83
July 24: Key moments for Key People…. Hazel Grove-Stuart Drive at Chancellorsville: O’Reilly and White 103
July 31: Chewning/Higgerson: Janice Frye 65
August 7: Ellwood Candlelight: FOWB, Janice Frye. 135
August 14: War Means Anguish: Civilians in Fredericksburg. John Hennessy 123
Total 1,306
Fredericksburg Remembered 
I have been attending the HaS tours for several years now. I think they have been successful because you bring the story of the city, the surrounding area and the people to life and link it to the terrible conflict that occurred here. For a future HaS event, I’d really like to tour the remains of the “beanpoles and cornstalks” bridge over Potomac creek.
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks Steve. The great challenge with the site of the Potomac Creek Bridge is one of parking–there’s just no place to put 50-70 cars. But, it might be doable for a smaller Saturday morning program. We’ll work on that. Meantime, the closest we’ll come is our Aquia Landing program in August–the first time the NPS has ever done a program out there. We’ll be using extensively the available historic photographs for that one.
What an impressive record of success! I will plan to make a trip to Fredericksburg in the near future to attend. Each of the 3 programs upcoming are of interest.
John – I’ve been to the Potomac Creek crossing site and understand the parking concern. I’ve long been facinated by the famous photos of that bridge. The actual site is little known today by most people. It is easy to drive past and not even notice the stone abutments. I hope you can work out some kind of program there.
I’m looking forward to this Friday’s HaS at Bernard’s cabins. My GG Grandfather fought in Lane’s brigade, almost directly in front of the cabins.
A very impressive record and impressive recordkeeping!
“June 14: War Means Anguish, War Means Freedom: The Civilian Experience in Fredericksburg — June 14. Hennessy. 93”
I wish this one could be repeated or consider a new one “Downtown Churches during the War”.
I am beginning a 6 part series for St. George’s Episcopal’s newsletter entitled “St. George’s Civil War” for this fall basically concentrating one building and its parishioners during the war focusing on the Church’s three roles – fortress, church and hospital. Really micro history. I am enjoying the Virtual Fredericksburg map on the Mysteries and Conundrums site as well as all of the content there. It is exciting to see what you don’t know! Carry on!
Thanks Ben. We’ll certainly do War Means Anguish again. I believe we have done that particular tour four times over the years (including the concluding tour last year), and it is certainly the one I get the most requests for. Your idea of a program focused on the churches during the war is an outstanding one–and one we’ll put on the list for next year.
You should know that one of our City of Hospitals tours ended up spending all its time inside St. George’s because of rain. It turned out to be a terrific experience. No sanctuary in town has quite the sense of place as yours does.
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