Event
Foster-Petty Family
This event has already occurred. This page is provided for reference only.
Fee:
Free.Location: LAT/LONG: 38.997223, -78.323206
Meet at the Bowman-Hite Farm, just beneath Thoburn's Redoubt (stop no. 2 on the self-guided battlefield tour) on Bowman's Mill Road. This is a remote area and there are no bathroom facilities. The property does not have a street address. Follow these directions: From U.S. Highway 11 just south of Middletown, turn onto Water Plant Road. Go 1 mile to the intersection with Long Meadow Road. Turn right onto Long Meadow Road. Go 0.1 mile. Turn right onto Bowman's Mill Road. Go 1.4 miles. Thoburn's Redoubt is marked by an auto tour sign (stop no. 2). Bowman-Hite Farm is 0.2 miles further down the road.
Dates & Times
Date:
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Time:
5:00 PM
Duration:
1 hour
Type of Event
Talk
Description
Hear the newly rediscovered story of James Foster, an enslaved man, and his free wife, Mary Petty.
Born enslaved, James Foster did additional work as a shoemaker to earn wages and support his free family. When his property was taken by Federal soldiers before the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek, he filed paperwork for repayment. This paperwork tells the story of a Unionist family caught between freedom and slavery in the Shenandoah Valley.
Program Location: Bowman-Hite Farm.
Reservation or Registration: No
Image Gallery
NPS Photo