George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War facts for kids

The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War is a special research center at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It focuses on the American Civil War and helps students learn a lot about this important time in history.

Students who study here take classes about the Civil War (1850-1865), the time after the war called the Reconstruction Era, and African-American history. They also learn about soldiers and society during the war and the history of the Old South. Students get to do their own research and can even intern at historic places nearby, like Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

History of the Center

The idea for a "Center for the Study of the Civil War" at Shepherd University started in 1990. University officials and people from Antietam National Battlefield talked about creating a place to help manage a big computer database. This database, called the "Civil War Soldiers System" (CWSS), was being made by the National Park Service (NPS). It would hold basic information about soldiers from their service records.

In 1991, a meeting was held with experts, university staff, and Civil War scholars. They decided that Shepherd University could help make sure the database was accurate and followed good standards. They also thought Shepherd could show how to add more details to the database, like information about West Virginia's Union soldiers, by looking at census records and pension files.

Another meeting happened in 1993. A group of expert advisors had been chosen. Everyone agreed that the center should add more detailed information from soldiers' "Compiled Service Records" and "Pension Files" (which are kept at the National Archives). They also decided that teaching people about the Civil War would be just as important as building the database. A question-and-answer session from this meeting was even shown on C-SPAN!

Leaders of the Center

In September 1993, a Civil War historian named Mark A. Snell became the first director. He was a retired Army officer and had taught history at West Point. He had written several books about the Civil War, including one about Major General William B. Franklin.

In August 2015, Dr. James J. Broomall became the new director of the George Tyler Moore Center. Dr. Broomall studied history at the University of Delaware and the University of Florida. Before coming to Shepherd University, he taught history at other universities.

Dr. Broomall has written and edited several books and studies about the Civil War. He has also received many awards and grants for his work. He helps guide several historical groups, including the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association.

Programs and Facilities

The center holds an annual event called "The Civil War and American Society Seminar Series," which started around 1996.

Volunteers at the center work hard to enter information from soldiers' service records into a computer database. They have already completed collecting data for soldiers buried in national cemeteries like Antietam, Gettysburg, and Andersonville.

The center also created a special computer program about West Virginia's role in the Civil War. This program was given for free to public high schools in West Virginia in 2009.

Throughout the year, the center hosts many Civil War-related events. These include a "Civil War Christmas," casual lunch talks, and other activities with nearby National Parks and museums.

The Conrad Shindler House

In September 1995, the famous actress Mary Tyler Moore gave the Conrad Shindler House to the center. This house was built around 1795 and was owned by Mary Tyler Moore's ancestor in the early 1800s. During the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, many wounded Confederate soldiers were cared for in the Shindler House, just like in other buildings in Shepherdstown.

In April 1996, all of the Civil War Center's activities moved to the Shindler House. To honor Mary Tyler Moore's father, the center was then renamed The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War.

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  Conrad Shindler House today

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  Historic Flemish Bond and Water Table at the Shindler House (ca. 1795)

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  Conrad Shindler (ca. 1840)

Research at the Center

The center is always working on research. One main project is collecting information from soldiers' military service records. This will help them find a more exact number of veterans who were born in West Virginia. Soon, they will have data from all of West Virginia's Union regiments and (Western) Virginia Confederate regiments in their electronic database. Once this is done, it will be easy to find very accurate totals for both sides of the war, including information that was not available before.

Civil War Seminars and Lectures

Every year, the center holds a special weekend seminar. It focuses on an interesting topic related to the Civil War. Civil War experts, people who love history, and college students all come to this event. It gives them a chance to learn about the newest research in Civil War history.