Pamplin Historical Park

World War II 80th Anniversary Weekend
2025-08-23 08:00 - 2025-08-24 17:00 (America/New_York)
This 80th anniversary living history event brings to life the experiences of fighting abroad and the war on the home front during World War II. Guests will have the chance to learn from living historians portraying soldiers who fought in WWII and about different aspects of a soldier’s life including weapons, signals and communications, and tactical demonstrations. Impressions will range from U.S. Army and Marines to those of British and Russian allies. Civilian living historians will portray goings on at the home front and USO activities stateside. Demonstrations will include medical, cooking, weapons and a military uniform and civilian fashion show. A special tactical demonstration will be performed on Saturday afternoon to illustrate the art of fire and maneuver. Throughout the weekend visitors can experience the VA250 Mobile Museum and compare and contrast the soldiers, sailors and marines of the American Revolution to those of World War II, as we commemorate the 250th Birthday Anniversaries of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, All event activities and programs are included with regular daily paid admission.
Partner museums to include; MacArthur Memorial, U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, U.S. Army Ordnance TSF, U.S. Army Women’s Museum, and the Virginia War Memorial will have displays and more for visitors to see and experience. Presentations by authors and historians will be throughout the weekend. Actor and historian Charles Wissinger will portray Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Lieutenant Audie Murphy and share his amazing story.
Visitors will have an opportunity to meet and hear about the adventures of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Audie Murphy (portrayed by actor/historian Charles Wissinger) who was an American soldier, actor and song writer. He is widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at age 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded.
Other presenters include Al Barnes, Virginia National Guard who will present “U.S. Army 29th Division in World War II,” Jennifer Cottle, MacArthur Memorial will present “The End of WWII and the Occupation of Japan,” Ali Kolleda, U.S. Army Fort Lee Museums, will present “U.S. Army Chaplains in World War II” and Colin Romanick, Pamplin Historical Park will present “Divided Loyalties: Germany’s Foreign Volunteers.”
The weekend schedule is below.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Living history camps and displays open to public
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM USO Children’s Craft Activities: WWII Coloring Book & The Roosevelt’s Scottie Dog “Fala” make & take home item at Freedom Garden (Diana Campbell)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Children’s Obstacle Course Training Activity – Freedom Garden
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM US Army Quartermaster, Ordnance TSF, Transportation, Women’s Museums displays at NMCWS alcove off of rotunda
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Virginia War Memorial display at NMCWS alcove off of rotunda
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM Viewing of Virginians at War: D-Day: Invasion at Normandy in Education Center
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM “U.S. Army 29th Division in WWII” presentation by Al Barnes in Education Center
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM 1940s fashion show at Education Center
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM “Lieutenant Audie Murphy” presentation by Charles Wissinger (First Person) in Education Center
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM WWII Weapons demonstration at Fortification Exhibit
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM “Jewish Army Chaplains in WWII” presentation by Alexandra Kolleda (AME/U.S. Army Museums) in Education Center
4:00 PM – 4:20 PM Viewing of Virginians at War: Battle of the Bulge in Education Center
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM Coordinate reloading of participant equipment and partner displays
Sunday, August 24
8:15 AM – 8:45 AM Safety inspection of living history and demo areas
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Park Opening, Closing, Cleaning — standard operating procedures
Follow event program below:
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Living history camps and displays open to public.
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM USO Children’s Craft Activities: WWII Coloring Book & The Roosevelt’s Scottie Dog “Fala” make & take home item at Freedom Garden
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Children’s Obstacle Course Training Activity – Freedom Garden
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MacArthur Memorial display at NMCWS alcove off of rotunda (power required)
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM Viewing of Virginians at War: D-Day: Invasion at Normandy in Education Center
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM “Divided Loyalties: Germany’s Foreign Volunteers” presentation by Colin Romanick in Education Center
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM 1940s fashion show at Education Center
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM “The End of WWII and the Occupation of Japan” presentation by Jennifer Cottle (MacArthur Memorial) in Education Center
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM WWII Weapons demonstration at Fortification Exhibit
3:00 PM – 3:20 PM Viewing of Virginians at War: Battle of the Bulge in Education Center
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Coordinate reloading of participant equipment and partner displays
Alexander F. Barnes was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and grew up in an Air Force family. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and then joined the Army National Guard in 1977, retiring as a Virginia Army National Guard chief warrant officer in 2004. He retired from the US Army at Fort Lee in July 2015 after 30 years of service as an Army Civilian including deployments in Desert Storm, Bosnia, and Kuwait. He has a master’s degree in Anthropology and has authored or co-authored nine US Military History books. He is currently serving as the Command Historian for the Virginia National Guard.
Ali Kolleda is the education specialist for the Fort Lee Army Museum Enterprise, which includes the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, and the Ordnance Training Support Facility. Her background is in collections management and public history, and as a museum professional her goal has been to fill gaps in the historic narrative by diversifying collections and programming. She has a master’s degree in Public History from James Madison University and has been working in Army Museums for 13 years. Ms. Kolleda has presented at the Society for History in the Federal Government, the American Association for State and Local History, the Virginia War Memorial, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and is credited on several government and private publications, including The SixTripleEight documentary, outlining the service of the historic 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in the European Theater during World War II.
Jennifer Cottle is a Museum Attendant and Museum Specialist working with the MacArthur Memorial and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. Since becoming a staff member, she has worked with material in the museum collections to help share the stories of the thousands of Allied civilians interned in the Philippines during WWII with the public through virtual outreach and education programs. Jennifer graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Anthropology in 2014 and worked in the field of archaeology for several years before joining the staff at the MacArthur Memorial. She is currently pursuing a M.A. in Public History and plans to incorporate the food history of the WWII internment camps into her capstone project.
Colin Romanick is the current Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park and has worked in the museum field for over 20 years in the areas of education, finance and marketing. He is a graduate of Christopher Newport University where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration. Romanick worked for the City of Newport News, Historic Services Division for 13 years. During that time he conducted educational programs, tours and assisted in the acquisition of artifacts for the Virginia War Museum. Romanick is a published author and contributing writer of numerous historical articles for various periodicals. Prior to joining Pamplin Historical Park, he has worked as an educator for the US Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee and conducted tours at historic Endview Plantation and Lee Hall Mansion in Newport News, VA.
Children are invited to experience a World War II training obstacle course and enjoy craft activities to include World War II coloring books and making a take home project of the Roosevelt’s Scottie Dog “Fala.”
World War II, which was fought between 1939 and 1945, cost an estimated 85 million casualties both military and civilian worldwide. The United States military casualties amounted to 416,800. While many were thankful for the surrender in Europe on May 8, 1945 the war in the Pacific raged on and was far from over. The battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the first half of the year gave a glimpse of the carnage awaiting invasion forces set to strike the Japanese home islands. A planned Allied invasion on the island of Kyushu was set for November 1st. There 500,000 Japanese troops were in position and another 6 million were under arms or able to be called into service. This invasion did not come to pass. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Imperial Japan to accept an unconditional surrender. The terms were accepted on August 14, 1945 and a formal document signing ceremony took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd.
This event is held in partnership with Bank of Southside Virginia.

Roundtable: The Curious Case of the Confederate Coat
2025-09-04 19:00 - 20:00
Join Richard Lewis who will present on September 4. 2025 at 7:00 p.m. to the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable. Mr. Lewis will share the “Cloaked in Mystery: The Curious Case of the Confederate Coat.”
Could it be that familiar and seemingly mundane studio images of Civil War generals hold a long-forgotten hidden secret? A wrinkle in a sleeve sent Richard Lewis on a six-year research project that resulted in two articles in Civil War Times magazine and revealed a fascinating surprise. Not everything is as it seems in Civil War photography, even in pictures of well-known figures. Join us as Richard presents a lively and fun PowerPoint taking us step-by-step through his discoveries and enabling audience members to play “history detective” along with him.
Richard Lewis is a native of Gulfport, Mississippi, and a graduate of Louisiana State University where he studied Civil War history under Pulitzer Prize-winner Dr. T. Harry Williams. He retired as the Director of Public Relations for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, served on the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Commission and the board of Civil War Trails, and currently volunteers at Richmond National Battlefield Park
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month (except for the months of June, July and August) at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.

Roundtable: The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
2025-10-02 19:00 - 20:00
Join Jerry Netherland who will present on October 2. 2025 at 7:00 p.m. to the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable. Mr. Netherland will share the “The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House.”
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month (except for the months of June, July and August) at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.

2025 Symposium Optional Tour
2025-10-17 08:30 - 17:00
Join Pamplin Historical Park’s Zachary Pittard, Director of Education & Interpretation and Aaron Stoyack, Park Ranger, for a tour examining “United At What Cost: Petersburg in War and Peace, 1781 and 1865.” Follow the events and visit sites from the 292-day Civil War siege of Petersburg, while hearing contrasting stories at the locations from the American Revolution. Explore the numerous events, government and civilian roles and the ending cost of peace ending both the Civil War and American Revolutionary War.
The tour will leave from the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier at Pamplin Historical Park promptly at 8:30 a.m. and return by 5:00 p.m. Stops will include the City Point, Centre Hill Mansion, Wallace House, Poplar Lawn, Edge Hill, Fort Gregg, Sutherland Station and others along the way. A box lunch will be provided (included in your registration fee). Reservations are required and space is limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Full payment is due upon registration. Refunds will be issued, minus a $10 administrative fee, through September 26, 2025. No refunds will be issued after that date.
Open a printable version of the 2025 optional tour registration form by clicking here. You can also call (804) 861-2408 and register M-F, 9AM – 5PM.
Reservations and pre-payment are required and space is limited. The cost per person is $139.00 or when purchased with the full symposium, $129.00 per person.

Roundtable: Gettysburg's Southern Front
2025-11-06 19:00 - 20:00
Join Mr. Hampton Newsom as he presents on November 6, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. to the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable. Mr. Newsom will share ”Gettysburg’s Southern Front.”
The three-day Battle of Gettysburg took place between July 1 and July 3, 1863 in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was fought between the Union and Confederate and is considered the turning point of the American Civil War. The battle is also recognized as the most costly battle in American military history with over 50,000 combined casualties.
While General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was committed to an invasion of Pennsylvania, US Major General John Adams Dix led 20,000 Union troops on an assault against Richmond, Virginia. Union General-in-Chief Henry Halleck sensed and opportunity and ordered Dix to attack Richmond. On July 1863, Dix would move on both Bottom’s Bridge and Crump’s Crossroads in an effort to disrupt Lee’s lines of communication and threaten the Confederate capital. Newsome will explore these events, which took place on the same day as Confederate General Longstreet’s massive assault at Gettysburg, and ended with a different outcome than the Battle of Gettysburg.
Hampton Newsome is a retired attorney who lives in Arlington, Virginia. He is an editor of Civil War Talks: Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard and His Fellow Veterans. Hampton Newsome is the author of several books on the Civil War including Richmond Must Fall: The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, October 1864, published by Kent State University Press in 2012 and recognized as a best book of the year by the Civil War Monitor magazine; and The Fight for the Old North State: The Civil War in North Carolina, January-May 1864, which was published in 2019 by the University Press of Kansas and received the Emerging Civil War Book Award and the Richard Barksdale Harwell Award from the Atlanta Civil War Roundtable. His most recent title is Gettysburg’s Southern Front: Opportunity and Failure at Richmond. Also published by University of Kansas Press, this new book has received the Edwin C. Bearss Book Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the Chicago Civil War Roundtable as well as the Emerging Civil War 2023 Book of the Year.
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month (except for the months of June, July and August) at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information. The meeting is held at the park’s Education Center located at 6523 Duncan Road, Dinwiddie, VA 23803.

Veterans Day Observance
2025-11-08 09:00 - 17:00
Join Pamplin Historical Park as we offer living-history, demonstrations, displays, and Pamplin Historical Park is offering free admission during Veterans Day Observance, Saturday, November 8, to all active duty Military, Reservists, Retirees, Veterans, National Guardsmen.
Pamplin Historical Park will offer multiple programs throughout the weekend, to include; Civil War, World War I and World War II living-history, displays, a musket program and Breakthrough Battlefield tour. Pamplin Historical Park is offering free admission during Veterans Day weekend, on Saturday, November 8 to all active duty Military, Reservists, Retirees, Veterans, National Guardsmen.
All visitors will have the opportunity to explore the 424-acre park to include the Breakthrough Battlefield which on April 2, 1865, resulted in the evacuation of both Petersburg and Richmond. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier has a collection of over 6.000 artifacts and special digital devices provide audio and images at over eighty locations through out the park. Additional interactive displays will bring the soldier’s experience to life and visitors can follow the stories of thirteen “Soldier Comrades” from the Civil War in the award-winning exhibit “Duty Called Me Here.”
The free park admission during the Veterans Day weekend activities, Saturday, November 8, includes all active duty Military, Reservists, Retirees, Veterans, National Guardsmen. This offer is only available to active duty Military, Reservists, Retirees, Veterans, National Guardsmen with proper ID, which includes a Department of Defense photo ID or DD Form 214. Military veterans who separated before retirement can bring a copy of their honorable discharge paperwork, DD Form 214, as identification of service.
All event activities and programs are included with regular daily paid admission. This event is held in partnership with The Bank of Southside Virginia.

Roundtable: Virginia's Own Fire Eater - Edmund Ruffin
2025-12-04 19:00 - 20:00
Join speaker Kenneth Bage as he shares the “Virginia’s Own Fire Eater: Edmund Ruffin.”
Bage will share the life of Edmund Ruffin, American planter. politician, scientist and activist for secession of the slave Southern states from the United States. Ruffin served in the Virginia Senate from 1823 to 1827 and published works in support of states’ rights and the protection of chattel slavery. This earned Ruffin the notoriety of being one of the so-called Fire-Eaters prior to the Civil War. After eleven southern states declared independence from the United States in 1861, Ruffin enlisted as a Confederate soldier and served until wars’ end in 1865. Ruffin was additionally known for for his agricultural pioneering work in soil productivity, which included crop rotation and studies on correcting soil acidity. In recent years, Ruffin has become known as “the father of soil science” and his writings have been influential in soil conservation.
Mr. Kenny Bage is a local business owner, retired police officer, and a graduate of Saint Leo University. He is a member and leader in almost twenty historical, hereditary, and civic organizations to include: Sons of the American Revolution, Colonial Heights Historical Society, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the current president of the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable.
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
This is an in-person event.

Roundtable: Opium Slavery: The Civil War, Veterans, and America’s First Opioid Crisis
2026-01-08 19:00 - 20:00
Join speaker Dr. Jonathan Jones as he shares the “Opium Slavery: The Civil War, Veterans, and America’s First Opioid Crisis.”
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
This is an in-person event.

Roundtable: The Battle of Franklin
2026-02-05 19:00 - 20:00
Join speaker Andrew Gallagher as he shares the “Twilight of the Confederacy: The Battle of Franklin.”
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
This is an in-person event.

Medal of Honor Observance Tour
2026-03-25 09:00 - 12:00
Park historians will lead a tour highlighting the actions of Medal of Honor recipients during the Civil War.

161st Breakthrough Battle Anniversary Weekend
2026-03-28 09:00 - 2026-03-29 17:00
Join us as we remember the 161st Anniversary of the Breakthrough Battle which ended the Petersburg Campaign and forced the Confederate withdrawal from Richmond.
The Park is hosting a full weekend schedule of activities and programs for walk-in visitors. Attendees will have the opportunity to drill with the troops, see artillery and infantry demonstrations with Civil War reenactors who will fire muskets and cannons. Visitors can experience a “Defend the Works” reenactment program, on the actual Breakthrough Battlefield with reenactors and artillery providing all of the sights and sounds of battle.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to join a guided tour of the Breakthrough Battlefield, where attendees can walk in the footsteps of soldiers from the April 2, 1865 battle. Throughout the weekend park visitors can tour military encampments near the battlefield and explore the historic Tudor Hall Plantation, which features dwellings and stories of the enslaved, a kitchen, barns, live animals and Tudor Hall.

Breakthrough Battle Anniversary Driving Tour
2026-04-02 09:00 - 13:00
This will be a caravan driving tour to include stops and guides leading the tour to commemorate the 161st Anniversary of the Breakthrough Battle. The tour will begin promptly at 9:00 am and depart from the Park’s Education Center located at 6523 Duncan Road, Petersburg, VA 23803. Attendees will visit Pamplin Historical Park’s Breakthrough Battlefield and sites related to the Breakthrough. Guides will share the historical events, which unfolded at each site and ultimately culminated in the evacuation of both Petersburg and Richmond, VA. The tour will end at approximately 1:00 pm. Attendees will arrive and depart from the Park’s Education Center located at 6523 Duncan Road, Petersburg, VA 23803 and carpools are highly encouraged.
Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes as there will be a series of walks in-between driving to the sites. Guests are also encouraged to pack a bottle of water and a snack while traveling through Dinwiddie County. This event will be rain or shine, and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly.

Roundtable: The Civil War Sacrifice of Somerset County, Pennsylvania
2026-04-02 19:00 - 20:00
Join speaker Jerry Ankeny as he shares “The Civil War Sacrifice of Somerset County, Pennsylvania.”
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
This is an in-person event.

Roundtable: John Taylor Wood and The Rebel Horse Marine
2026-05-07 19:00 - 20:00
Join speaker J. Michael Moore as he shares “John Taylor Wood and The Rebel Horse Marine.”
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable (PCWRT) will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Annual membership is $40.00. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20.00. Non-members can attend for $5.00 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
This is an in-person event.

World War II Living History Weekend
2026-08-22 09:00 - 2026-08-23 17:00
This World War II anniversary living history event brings to life the experiences of fighting abroad and the war on the home front during World War II. Guests will have the chance to learn from living historians portraying soldiers who fought in WWII and about different aspects of a soldier’s life including weapons, signals and communications, and tactical demonstrations. Impressions will range from U.S. Army and Marines to those of British and Russian allies. Civilian living historians will portray goings on at the home front and USO activities stateside. Demonstrations will include medical, cooking, weapons and a military uniform and civilian fashion show. A special tactical demonstration will be performed on Saturday afternoon to illustrate the art of fire and maneuver. All event activities and programs are included with regular daily paid admission.
Partner museums will have displays and more for visitors to see and experience. Presentations by authors and historians will be throughout the weekend.
World War II, which was fought between 1939 and 1945, cost an estimated 85 million casualties both military and civilian worldwide. The United States military casualties amounted to 416,800. While many were thankful for the surrender in Europe on May 8, 1945 the war in the Pacific raged on and was far from over. The battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the first half of the year gave a glimpse of the carnage awaiting invasion forces set to strike the Japanese home islands. A planned Allied invasion on the island of Kyushu was set for November 1st. There 500,000 Japanese troops were in position and another 6 million were under arms or able to be called into service. This invasion did not come to pass. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Imperial Japan to accept an unconditional surrender. The terms were accepted on August 14, 1945 and a formal document signing ceremony took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd.
