Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
Yesterday, Landy and I went to the St. Patty’s Day Celtic Fest in Old Town Winchester. There we went to The American Bar where I ordered us hamburgers and fries.
We had some birthday cake-flavored cotton candy from the vendor.
Then we walked around and saw men dressed in kilts and armor; and women dressed as fairies.
Here are some other pictures I took while we were there. I even recorded some videos of the performances.
TAYLOR HOTEL
“Packed with Confederate wounded”
The Taylor Hotel was a major stopping point for travelers because of its location on the Valley Turnpike and also was the center of town life. During the war, it was the headquarters for several commanders, including Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, who came here in November 1861. His stay was short-lived, however. Disturbed by throngs eager to meet the celebrated “Stonewall,” he moved days later to the privacy of the Lewis T. Moore house (now the Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters Museum).
Cavalry commander Turner Ashby, “the Black Knight of the Confederacy,” received his promotion to brigadier general here on May 27, 1862–just 10 days before he was killed near Harrisonburg. He is buried at Stonewall Cemetery a few blocks east.
The hotel also served as a soldiers’ hospital for both sides. In May 1863, Union Gen. Robert Milroy ordered repairs “to fix the damage done to the ‘Taylor Hotel’…by the troops of this Division, resulting from its use as a hospital.” Winchester diarist Mary Greenhow Lee wrote on July 25, 1863, “The sick & wounded Yankees, left at Taylor’s Hotel, are without guard.” After the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864, Northern illustrator James E. Taylor wrote, “A yellow [General Hospital] flag fastened to one of the pillars and railing of the hotel porch proclaimed [its] present use. … I found every available space packed with Confederate wounded conveyed from the battlefield, fortunate indeed, to find such excellent quarters.”
Taylor Hotel sign
Picture captions from left to right:
- Confederate wounded carried into Taylor Hotel after Third Battle of Winchester, by James Taylor. Courtesy Western Reserve Historical Society
- Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, photography taken in Winchester, November 1862. Courtesy Virginia Military Institute
- Confederate troops marching through Winchester, showing Taylor Hotel (built 1847 by Bushrod Taylor) in center, Harper’s Weekly, Aug. 3, 1861
(Email subscribers, go to the post to view videos.)
Bagpipe and Drum Performance
@hydrangeatravels Bagpipe and drum performance at the St. Patty's Day Celtic Fest in Old Town Winchester on March 16, 2024 #stpatricksday #oldtownwinchesterva #stpattysdaycelticfest #bagpipes #drums #hydrangeatravels #travelspecialists ♬ original sound – Sena Rainey
Armstrong Irish Dance Showcase
@hydrangeatravels Another video from the St. Patty's Day Celtic Fest on March 16, 2024–this time, the Armstrong Irish Dance Showcase at Handley Library. #irishdance #handleylibrary #stpatricksday #stpattysdaycelticfest #oldtownwinchesterva #auditorium ♬ original sound – Sena Rainey
Cover image is of Landy (left) and me at the St. Patty’s Day Celtic Fest in Old Town Winchester on March 16, 2024.