Events and News

Upcoming events - for photos and info on past events, see Events in Review

Lone Starred Log Cabin Quilt Drawing - this fall  
Quilt As part of commemorating the Civil War, Crossroads is offering the public opportunity to give a $5 donation for a ticket to be placed in a drawing for a beautiful log cabin quilt. Donations from this drawing will be used to support the daily operations of the Center. Quilts were often raffled or auctioned during the Civil War to raise money for troops, especially by the abolitionists opposed to slavery.

Folklore has it that log cabin quilts on the clothesline signaled a safe house on the underground railroad that took slaves north to freedom. While this theory is disputed among quilters and historians alike, these stories remind us of the plight of slaves and the men who opposed taking up arms during the war and the women who risked their own safety to help these persons gain freedom.

Quilt The log cabin design has many variations but traditionally has a center square with strips of light and dark patterned material sewn in sequence around the center. The Crossroads quilt has a magnificent star in the center with surrounding strips of brilliant red and navy materials interspersed with off-white. The 68x90 inch quilt was made by Ivy Trissel, since deceased, who was an excellent quilter and who donated many of her hand-stitched quilts to charity. This one was sold at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community auction in Harrisonburg on March 18, 2005, but was never used and now has been donated to Crossroads for its Civil War commemoration. Stop by the Welcome Center to purchase your ticket or click on the button below to purchase tickets online. Depending upon the response, the drawing will be held on Harvest Day, September 29, or during our Old Fashioned Christmas in December. Buy a ticket to raise money for Crossroads and maybe win a beautiful, handmade quilt!

Other News

Vol 6 coverVolume VI of Unionists book released
Volume VI of Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the Shenandoah Valley became available in the fall of 2012. This volume summarizes the Claims of Brethren and Mennonite families who lived in Dayton, Harrisonburg, Hopkins Mill, Lacy Springs, Melrose, Tenth Legion, Timberville areas of Rockingham County, Virginia (1000 plus pages). More details here. A hardcover, it retails for $49.95, plus tax. The books in this series can be purchased at Reflections of Yesteryear in the Dayton Farmers Market, Rockingham Cooperative on Grace Street in Harrisonburg, Ruth's Books and Cards in Bridgewater, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society in Dayton, the Eastern Mennonite University Bookstore. and through Valley Research Associates. For mail orders, send $58.50 (includes Va. sales tax and shipping) to VRA, P.O. Box 526, Dayton, VA 22821. A list of the families featured in Volumes I -VI is available here. YOUR family ancestors might be featured - check it out!
Membership to nurture faith legacy
CrossRoads offers an annual membership that runs from September 1 through August 31 to nurture the CrossRoads vision: sharing the story of Jesus Christ as it has been reflected in the lives of the Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. The plan offers four levels of membership: Friends, Patrons, Sustainers, and Benefactors.

More information available here.

To begin your personal/family or congregational membership, contact our office.

Now Available -- "A Life of Peace in a Time of War"
The Civilian Public Service story, "A Life of Peace in a Time of War," which was shown on WVPT in 2004, is available for $19.95 (plus $2 for shipping and handling) from WVPT, 298 Port Republic Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. More information on this documentary and the award winning press kit created using portions of it is available for download in Microsoft Word format.