On June 20, 21 and 22, the Jefferson County Historical Society, the Jefferson County Museum and Historic Shepherdstown will offer a workshop entitled “Jefferson County and the Beginnings of the Civil War.”

Registration for the workshop is open to the public. Participants may sign up for one, two or all three days. Each session will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission will be free.

Teachers in the Jefferson County Schools will earn staff development credit for attending any or all of the sessions. Teaching materials will be provided.

The workshop will explore the role played by Jefferson County in the first year of the American Civil War. Topics and locations will be different each day.

The June 20 session, to be held at the Entler Hotel, Shepherdstown, will cover the strategic importance of Jefferson County and the Virginia Secession Convention. That day will include a keynote address by Civil War historian Jim Glymph.

The June 21 session, to be held at the Charles Town Library, will examine the beginnings of West Virginia statehood and the key Jefferson County players.

Finally, June 22 will be spent exploring Harpers Ferry and considering its significance in the opening months of the war.

Noted local historian and teacher Doug Perks, the originator of the workshop, will be the main speaker and tour guide.

In addition to the tour of Harpers Ferry, the workshop will include tours of the sponsoring museums and the Charles Town Library, as well as discussions of historically significant documents and photographs.

Enrollment will be limited, so interested individuals should register as soon as possible with Perks, director of the Charles Town Library, at octldirector@frontier.com or 304-725-2208. A registration form is available on the at www.ctlibrary.org/octl/.