Categories
Philanthropy

Scholarship Donation

In late, rainy September 2022, a small group of Princeton University Alumni came to the Antietam National Battlefield with a special guide, Professor James M. McPherson.  They have previously been on a tour of Gettysburg with Professor McPherson and at the end of that tour, McPherson answered their question of what battlefield should we tour next: Antietam was his immediate answer.  The group all stayed at Antietam Institute’s corporate member the Inn at Antietam, and for with owner Miriam Cunningham, it was a bit of reunion with the professor, having previously worked with McPherson at the American Historical Association.

Back Row: Stephen McMaster, Clayton Ramsey, Josh Pollack, Jimmy Teti
Front Row/Couch: Christina McMaster, Jim McPherson, Len Teti

Instead of taking a speaker’s fee, McPherson suggested that the group donate to an organization in his name.  They were all taken by the work done by the Institute, the conferences, the journals, the Brigades of Antietam book all being discussed and perused.  It was decided that they would help support the Institute’s scholarship at Shepherd University, generously donating $2000 which will be matched to the $2000 the Institute provides.  This scholarship was awarded for the first time to Kierstyn Williams in 2022.  The goal of the Institute to maintain this scholarship with Shepherd University and increase it as funding allows.  The scholarship is to encourage and inspire future study of the American Civil War and the Maryland Campaign.   The Institute thanked the groups for their generosity and commitment to the study of history. 

Professor James M. McPherson and Institute Board Member, Miriam Cunningham

If you would like to donate to the Institute’s scholarship fund, click on

Categories
Philanthropy

Annual Scholarship with the GTMC

L-R: Institute president, Chris Vincent; Dr. James Broomall, Director of the GTMC; Kierstyn Williams, scholarship recipient; and Monica Lingenfelter, Executive Vice President, Shepherd Foundation. Photo credit – Cecelie Mason, SU.

In support of the Institute’s mission, we are extremely proud to announce the establishment of an annual scholarship to provide financial assistance to a worthy Shepherd University student majoring in American history. This scholarship is to encourage and inspire future study of one of the most important military campaigns of the American Civil War.
To be considered for selection of this $2,000 scholarship award, the undergraduate student has a major in Civil War/ Nineteenth Century America and must be in good standing with at least one year of study at Shepherd (2.0 or higher GPA).

Working through the Shephard Foundation and with Dr. James Broomall, Director of Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, this year’s recipient is Kierstyn Williams. Kierstyn and her family moved to the area from North Carolina specifically to attend Shepherd. She is a student in good-standing in the Civil War Concentration and is working toward a capstone presentation (next year) on field hospitals during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.

We wish Kierstyn all the best in her upcoming studies and are looking forward to her research on the hospitals.

Categories
Philanthropy Programs

Shepherd University Student selected to attend Fall Conference

Jillian Black

A huge thanks goes out to Institute members Jack and Kathy Richer, who are not able to attend this year’s Fall Conference but donated funds to pay for a deserving Shepherd University student to attend. The Institute worked with the university’s George Tyler Moore Center to select one of their outstanding students, Jillian Black.

Jillian Black is a senior Civil War History major at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV. As a lifelong Civil War reenactor with the 142nd PVI Co. F, Jill has garnered a deep interest in all things Civil War related. She has been employed through Eastern National in the Antietam Park Store since 2019 and has recently started working in Monocacy’s Park Store as well. Her dream is to be a Park Ranger in Alaska for a handful of years before returning east to be at a Civil War battlefield. Outside of history, Jill is an avid musician. She plays the oboe and English horn with the Shepherd University Wind Ensemble and is a sister of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional music fraternity for women. She has held the positions of Treasurer, President, and Vice President Membership. Her favorite battlefields include Petersburg, Cedar Creek, and of course, Antietam.

Categories
Research

Summer Internship

We are pleased to announce that our summer internship with Shepherd University has begun. Working with Dr. James Broomall, of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, we have selected Shane Allen to work as a Digital Archive Intern for the Historical Research Center (HRC).  Shane hales from Paige, Texas and is a junior at Shepherd University pursuing a degree in Historic Preservation and Public History.  Shane volunteers locally at the Texas Wendish Heritage Museum where he serves as a docent and assisted with the digital archiving of photos documenting the Wendish families and their cultural experiences.

This summer, Shane will be populating our HRC with digital copies of regimental histories, manuscripts, books, documents, maps, photographs, and other items related to Antietam and the Maryland Campaign. Board members, Brian Downey and Chris Vincent are overseeing this project.  With this internship the HRC will grow exponentially, with over 600 items by September.

Completing our summer internship will also meet one of the Capstone requirements for Shane and provide an opportunity for him to grow and develop as an historian. 

Update: Sept. 25, 2022. Shepherd University student Shane Allen completed a 400-hour summer internship with the Institute in August. Shane uploaded over 500 items to the Institute’s on-line Historic Research Center (HRC), including regimental histories, manuscripts, related works, battlefield drawings, photos and maps. Each entry is complete with detailed information, descriptions and biography links. The Institute developed this repository to collect and share digital copies of historical and contemporary materials on the Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign of 1862.

Upon returning back to Shepherdstown in time to start back to school, Shane Allen was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from Institute President, Chris Vincent for his hard work over the summer.