You are here

Home » 19th Century Christmas Celebration Planned For Chatham At Fredericksburg And Spotsylvania National Military Park

19th Century Christmas Celebration Planned For Chatham At Fredericksburg And Spotsylvania National Military Park

Share
By NPT Staff - November 24th, 2015

Celebrate "Christmas at Chatham" on December 20/NPS

Even during the Civil War troops marked the Christmas holidays. Some insights of those celebrations will be offered at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia when "Christmas at Chatham" is marked on December 20.

From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., join park staff and living historians for Christmas at Chatham. Visit with historic Knickerbocker Santa, learn about how soldiers and civilians experienced Christmas during the Civil War, and participate in 19th century Christmas traditions. Christmas has always been a time of diverse experience and personal traditions. How did 19th century Americans celebrate Christmas, particularly during hard times such as the Civil War?

Activities will be available for children in the house and on the grounds while they are waiting for their turn to see 19th Century Santa, or after they are finished with their visit. Living historians in period dress will be answering questions about how Christmas was experienced by both soldiers in the camps and their loved ones left behind on the homefront. Children can both decipher a Civil War era letter and learn about different Christmas traditions from the 19th century. Light refreshments will be served by Friends of Chatham.

The programs will occur at Chatham Manor, 120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, VA, 22405.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.