Gather the whole family and try a different holiday experience at the first “Christmas at the Pass” on Saturday, December 19, 2015, 12:00 PM to 4 PM, at the Monterey Pass Battlefield Park & Museum, 14325 Buchanan Trail East, Waynesboro, PA. Activities include children’s craft corner, Christmas storytelling, Victorian Era Christmas music, egg nog and Victorian cookies, and the history of Santa Claus. The Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum is decorated for Christmas in Victorian period style. Outside the museum, on the park grounds, there will be living history vignettes of Civil War soldiers. Talk with the soldiers about their families as they share favorite holiday memories and their feelings as they prepare to celebrate Christmas away from home and at war. New to Monterey Pass Battlefield this year is a fruit press. Try pressing apples to make cider, and then enjoy a nice mug of warm cider by the fire.
All events are free and open to the public. In the event of rain, outdoor activities will be moved indoors. In the event of snow or ice, check the Monterey Pass Museum and Battlefield Facebook page to determine if the event will be held.
“Christmas at the Pass” is made possible by the Friends of the Monterey Pass Battlefield, Inc., a tax-exempt [501c3], non-stock corporation with a focus to promote and support educational programs, historical preservation, community improvement projects, cultural activities, and special projects that benefit the preservation and interpretation of lands with a historical significance of the Monterey Pass Battlefield, site of the second largest battle in Pennsylvania and fought on the Retreat from Gettysburg on the late hours of July 4 and early hours of July 5. The conflict involved 10,000 Union and Confederate soldiers, who battled during a raging, thunderstorm along the precarious Monterey Pass of the South Mountain. The battle eventually spilled into Maryland during the early morning hours of July 5th, making it the only battle to be fought on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line. During the aftermath of the battle, the Confederate army marched through Monterey Pass, and many thousands of soldiers camped here before marching to the Potomac River at Williamsport and Falling Waters, Maryland. For more information about “Christmas at the Pass” or to learn more about the Friends of the Monterey Pass Battlefield, Inc., visit the website.
The mission of the Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum is to interpret and exhibit artifacts related to the battle of Monterey Pass, the Pennsylvania Campaign of 1863, and the American Civil War as it relates to Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Through these exhibits, the museum encourages audiences to examine the past and its relationship to a shared future.
The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore Franklin County PA and enjoy the trails of history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more….plan a visit soon.