Living history in Gordonsville

By Jeff Poole
Review Managing Editor
Published: June 5, 2008

Saturday and Sunday, the Gordonsville Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum hosted its annual living history weekend, featuring military encampments, Civil War-era surgery demonstrations, Gordonsville’s famous fried chicken and a special stop by the Buckingham Branch Railroad. Pictured top right, the grounds around the Exchange Hotel became a military encampment for various reenactors this weekend. A special stop by the Buckingham Branch Railroad allowed Exchange Hotel visitors the opportunity to tour the train which passes the museum daily. The museum thanked the railroad, presenting representatives with a brick from the adjacent freight depot.  In the tradition of the town’s fried chicken history, Michael Cooper cooked fried chicken for event patrons.