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Tour of the Summit Point Battlefield

By Staff | Aug 19, 2016

On Sunday, Aug. 21, the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission will present a special “152 Years Ago Today” car caravan tour of the Summit Point Battlefield.

The one-and-a-half hour tour will feature seven stops, highlighting the evolution of the battle from start to finish. The event is scheduled to start at The Railside Market parking lot in Summit Point, at 10 a.m.

The Battle of Summit Point took place on Aug. 21, 1864 between Confederate forces commanded by General Jubal Early and Federal forces commanded by General Philip Sheridan.

The battle took place in and around Summit Point and Charles Town as part of a large ranging engagement that resulted in over 1,000 casualties.

“The Battle of Summit Point is very important to understanding the broader scope of the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign,” said Rob Aitcheson, preservation specialist with the Historic Landmarks Commission. “Both armies were gearing up for a decisive fight, and it very nearly altered how that campaign would ultimately take shape in late August and September 1864.”

Summit Point is one of four battlefields in Jefferson County designated by the American Battlefield Protection Program as a significant historic resource. Many sites associated with the battle remain intact but are vulnerable to further development.

“Preservation is the primary focus of the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and to do that, we have to understand the importance of the sites and landscapes by also understanding the events that took place around them,” Aitcheson said.

“We hope that by guiding people through a large part of the Summit Point battlefield that a broader appreciation for historic preservation will continue to be supported while at the same time generating interest in this very important event in our County’s history,” Aitcheson added.

For more information about the tour, interested parties should contact JCHLC via email at landmarkscommission@jefferson countywv.org or by phone at 304-728-3228, ext. 1105.

Carpooling is encouraged.