France in the U.S. Civil War
/Although officially neutral, France (along with England) was lurking as a possible supporter of the Confederacy.
Read MoreThe Capitol Dome
/When Julia Wilbur first came to Washington in late 1862, a dome to accommodate the expanded Capitol was under construction.
Read MoreDiscovering Alexandria
/WETA, the local PBS station, broadcast Discovering Alexandria, its 90-minute (that is, 2 hours, with breaks for pledges) documentary on the history of Alexandria, VA, from its early years through the end of the 1800s.
Read MoreLiving Hell
/A few weeks ago, I spent an unseasonably warm and sunny Sunday afternoon hearing about Living Hell.
Read MoreThanksgiving, 1862
/Thanksgiving, November 1862, a rollicking time for officers and guests at the Parole Prisoners' Camp. The prisoners? Not so much.
Read MoreJulia Wilbur project
/Julia Wilbur traveled from Rochester, NY, to Alexandria, VA, in 1862, ready to help the Union cause how best she could. Her diaries (one example shown here, part of the Quaker Collection at Haverford College) reveal her successes and disappointments, friends and foes. I will use this site to highlight some of what I have learned about her, Civil War Alexandria and Washington, and the many people and events she came in contact with. Also, I hope this website finds those of you working on similar projects so we can share information and answer each other's questions.