January 2022 Program

Dear WCHS Members and Friends, Please join us for our historical program on the 1862 Peninsula Campaign on Tuesday, January 11, 4:30 PM at the Wakulla County Public Library.

Steve and Patty Fentriss are returning to the Wakulla County Historical Society for a new presentation, focusing on the 1862 Yorktown, Virginia, part of the Peninsula Campaign. This Civil War campaign resulted in the Union Army’s failed attempt to capture the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia. Steve brings a unique perspective on the subject having lived and gone to school in both Richmond and the Historic Triangle communities of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. Jamestown, on the James River side of the peninsula and founded in 1607, was the first capital of Virginia and considered by many to be the oldest continuously occupied English speaking settlement in the United States. Confederate earthworks still exist there today and photos appear in the presentation. Williamsburg, the Virginia capital from 1699 - 1780, is located in the middle part of the peninsula and was lost to the Union Army as it battled its way northwesterly toward Richmond. Yorktown was already historically significant before the Civil War as being the place where British forces of General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington in 1781. Included in the program are several 1862 and recent photos showing Revolutionary War era structures in both photo sets. This presentation is designed to provide a foundation for a future contemplated program about the 1865 Confederate Evacuation and Burning of Richmond.

Steve and Patty spent decades following and standing in the steps of Civil War photographers. They are retired and have made Wakulla County their home since 2016.  They will show comparison slides of these historic sites in 1862 and how they look today.    

 We look forward to seeing you there.

 Arlene Vause

Secretary

 [The Cornwallis Cave, Yorktown, Viriginia. Photo above provided by Steve Fentriss.]