by Ann Marie Maher – Executive Director, Discover Prince William & Manassas
Experience a one-of-a kind history lesson next month as Prince William and Manassas commemorate the 150th anniversary of 
President Lincoln’s passage of the Emancipation Proclamation and host special events to mark African American History Month.
“Lest We Forget: A Conference on Enslavement and Emancipation” takes place February 21-23 at Hylton Memorial Chapel. The free conference, hosted by Prince William’s Historic Preservation Division, will explore the cultural and historical legacies of the antebellum period through dramatic plays, keynote addresses, forums and round table discussions. Planned conference sessions include the secession and Civil War in Virginia, African American cemeteries and the Underground Railroad. Speakers will come from several noted institutions including the Maryland and Virginia Historical Societies, George Mason and George Washington Universities and the National Park Service. The conference will conclude with day-long bus tours to significant African American sites in Prince William, Manassas and Washington, D.C. There is a small fee associated with the tours.
There will be other events to mark African American History Month as well. Ben Lomond Historic Site will host a special event Feb. 16 that focuses on slave life prior to the Civil War and Lucasville School, a one-room schoolhouse for African American children, will open for tours every weekend in February.
In Manassas, Liberia Plantation will offer tours Feb. 16. The plantation was one of the largest in Prince William prior to the Civil War, with 90 slaves cultivating grains and vegetables.
To register for the conference, visit www.manassasbullrun.com. Don’t miss out on your chance to make America’s story yours!
