Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

The Blair County Historical Society “Friends of Royer” committee invites everyone to come out for Living History Weekend, May 19-21.
Activities will be held at Royer Mansion, five miles south of Williamsburg on Route 866, between Williamsburg and Martinsburg.
Participants include the 46th PA Regiment (Logan Guard Band), 13th Virginia Co. I and 78th Pennsylvania.
This year there will be lots of entertainment, in addition to the campsites, drills and battle re-enactments by participants. Admission is free.
Mark Nesbitt, nationally famous author of the “Ghosts of Gettysburg” series will be headlining “Meet the Authors”, along with Robert Broadwater, Dr. Bob Hileman, Jared Frederick, Patty Wilson and Scott Crownover.
Nesbitt will also join in telling stories with Patty Wilson about Gettysburg and other local stories during the Civil War.
A craft show will also be held on the lawn as well as inside the house on Saturday and Sunday. Bob Bard will be strolling the lawn, telling his stories, in period as a men’s clothing clerk from Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
New this year is a period dress contest for the public to participate in, following the style show. Prizes will be awarded. Also, Friday night there will be a Civil War surgeon’s tent setup, along with a Daughter of Charity (nurse).
Doug and Julie Decker will portray Maj. John H. Brinton, MS, Staff Surgeon of Gen. U.S. Grant and Sister Mary Camilla O’Keefe, Hampton’s Battery Co. F.
Also, Kayla Hilton will perform a concert of patriotic sons on Sunday and Hilton’s Family Amusements will be on the lawn with twenty carnival games.
On Friday, May 19, camp opens at 4 p.m. Then, the surgeon’s tent will be set up from 6 to 9 p.m.
On Saturday, camp opens at 10 a.m. A craft show and Hilton Family Amusements will also be set up, beginning at 10 a.m. from 11 a.m. to noon there will be drills by the Confederate Army and from 1 to 2 p.m. there will be drills by the Union Army.
A style show with Peg Krecota of the 78th Regiment, Kittaning and ladies and gentlemen from the camps, will be held from 2:30 to 3 p.m. followed by a period dress contest which will be open to the public from 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.
From 4 to 5 p.m. there will be a battle re-enactment and from 6 to 7 p.m. Bob and Carol Hileman of Huntingdon will present a slide show on Colonel Crowther and the 110th PA Volunteers.
“Ghosts of Gettysburg and other local stories” author Mark Nesbitt will join with authors/paranormal investigators Patty Wilson and Scott Crownover to share chilling tales of the paranormal from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Camp will then close at 10 p.m.
On Sunday, May 22, camp opens at 10 a.m. along with the craft show and Hilton Family Amusements.
Drills by the confederate Army will be held from 10 to 10:30 a.m. and the Union Army will perform their drills from 11 to 11:30 p.m.
Meet the authors book signing will be from 1 to 3 p.m. with Nesbitt, Broadwater, Hileman, Wilson, Crownover and Frederick.
A battle re-enactment is scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m.
Local singer, Kayla Hilton will present a concert, “Patriotic Songs and More” beginning at 2 p.m. with camp closing at 4 p.m.
Food will be available by “Friends of Claysburg Community”.
For more details, visit the website at www.blaircohistory.org.
All proceeds benefit the Blair County Historical Society, a non-profit organization, for the upkeep of Royer Mansion.

By Rick