Saturday, April 13 • 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Suggested donation, $3

Children 10 and under, free

Visitors in 1860’s period attire, free

Light refreshments

Join FOHH at this special event as 1st Lieutenant Willard Longnecker and several of his fellow re-enactors of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment Company B, “The Old Guard,” recreate Civil War history at Huntley. They will set up a tent and demonstrate life in the Union army. Come visit with the soldiers, ask questions about their uniforms and their weapons, and look at their tent. Farm tenant George W. Johnson, recreated by Jon Vrana, will be available to tell his side of the history. Hear the story of a civilian who tried to keep a farm going while it was overrun with soldiers.

Enjoy the view from the hilltop and learn about the building of Huntley in 1825 and how this small house had a large place in history.

By the time of the Civil War, Huntley was a vastly different place than the property Thomson Mason experienced. A short time before the war, Thomson’s widow Betsey and her son Francis moved away and left all the old servants and children in the care of George W. Johnson, the farm tenant. After the war Johnson presented a claim for $880 for damages done to the Huntley property by the Union soldiers.

When Virginia’s secession from the Union became effective on May 24, 1861, Federal troops moved into Northern Virginia and began building forts around D.C. In Alexandria, the Defenses of Washington included Fort Ellsworth, Fort Williams, Fort Worth, and Fort Ward. After these were completed, troops moved further out to build winter quarters. Camp Michigan, formed by several Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiments, was in the area of Huntley from December 1861 to March 1862, and their quartermaster lived in the house. Surviving letters recount activities such as building log houses, standing picket duty, and visiting Mount Vernon and Pohick Church. To learn more about the Defenses of Washington, visit Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, 4301 West Braddock Road, Alexandria (www.fortward.org).

Directions to Historic Huntley: From Route 495/95, exit 177A, follow Route 1 (Richmond Highway) south for three and a half miles. Turn right on Lockheed Blvd. for half a mile, then right on Harrison Lane (at the turn, notice entrance to Huntley Meadows Park on the left) and continue for half a mile. Special event parking is available at the church on the left. The entrance to the house is from Huntley Meadows Lane on the left, where there is handicap permit parking.