Join us for an afternoon with author and historian Karl Rhodes, as he shares the incredible story of his ancestor's experiences during the American Civil War!
Free Program! Donations Greatly Appreciated!
Friday, May 15th, at 2:00PM
Wagon Shed Room, Renfrew Visitor Center
1010 East Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268
Limited Seating Available
Refusing to Fight
Hear the amazing story of his great-great-grandmother, Margaret “Peggy” Rhodes, who ran a depot on the unionist underground railroad for Mennonites and Dunkers who refused to fight in the Civil War. Peggy concealed refugees — six at a time — in a secret cellar under a trapdoor in her bedroom floor. Her loyalty to the Union, however, provided no protection when General Philip Sheridan’s troops burned the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.
About the Author
Karl Rhodes has been a writer, editor, and researcher for more than 40 years. He helped launch Virginia Business magazine in 1986 and eventually became the magazine’s executive editor. In 1999, Karl was promoted to director of external communications for Media General, the parent company of Virginia Business and dozens of newspapers and television stations throughout the Southeast. He returned to hands-on publishing in 2005 as editor of University of Richmond Magazine, where he won numerous awards, including a CASE Gold Medal from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. More recently, Karl worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as a senior managing editor in the bank’s economic research department. In 2023, he published Peggy’s War, a fact-based novel about his great-great-grandmother, Peggy Rhodes, who ran a depot on the unionist underground railroad for Mennonites and Dunkers who refused to fight in the Civil War. Peggy’s War is in its second printing and is now available in 120 stores in 20 states and Canada. He provided a presentation on Peggy’s War for the Society for Women and the Civil War’s 2024 conference, and now serves as SWCW’s newsletter editor and as a Board Member. Karl currently is writing a sequel to Peggy’s War which will feature the Civil War struggles of Susanna (Heatwole) Brunk Cooprider.