The Institute offers three major programs each year:
The three-day Fall Conference includes speakers and battlefield excursions on interesting topics relating to the campaign (members only).
The one-day Spring Symposium involves a series of timely talks and interactions on the campaign (members only).
The weekly Summer Lecture Series features historians and researchers presenting their work on the campaign and the war (open to the public).
The theme of the 2025 Fall Conference was Beyond the Battle: Civilians, Casualties, and Remembering the Bloodiest Day in American History.
2025 Fall Conference
October 3-5, 2025
On September 17, 1862, two large armies, over 100,000 men, clashed in the fields and farmland around Sharpsburg in the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. The result was over 23,000 casualties; killed, wounded or missing. Homes, churches, and barns became hospitals, some in operation for months. The Federal army occupied the area for six weeks, living off the land and using up what little resources had remained. Years later veterans returned to remember their experiences and visit where it occurred.
Registration opened on April 12 and closed on September 3, 2025.
The topic of the 2026 Spring Symposium is “A Comparison of the Antietam and Gettysburg Campaigns.”
2026 Spring Symposium
April 10-11, 2026
The 2026 Spring Symposium – A Comparison of the Antietam and Gettysburg Campaigns – is set for April 10 & 11, 2026.
Speakers will include Doug Douds, D. Scott Hartwig, Dr. James Broomall, George Franks, and Dr. Jennifer Murray. The event will take place at the Storer Ballroom at Shepherd University on that Saturday, with an optional excursion on Friday afternoon before, exploring the Battle of Falling Waters and the retreat from Gettysburg, along with a talk by Dr. Carol Reardon and dinner Friday evening.
Registration will open during the 2025 Fall Conference in October and will close when all the spots are full.
The weekly Summer Lecture Series continues in Sharpsburg in 2026, now in its eleventh year
2026 Summer Lecture Series
June 1 – August 31, 2026
These free lectures are held in McKinley Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sharpsburg every Monday evening at 7:00 pm, June through August, and are open to the public.