Shepherd University senior Claudia Paycheff will portray the character of Mary Bender at Ferry Hill Place, just across the Potomac from Shepherdstown, as part of her historic preservation internship with the National Park Service. Paycheff, in the role of Bender, will discuss her life as a “canawler,” working and living on the C & O Canal in 1915, as part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and its living history program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until August 5, and on occasional days through the end of August.
Paycheff first researched and presented her character as part of Shepherdstown’s Living History tours in the summer of 2010 and 2011. The tours were funded by the Ida May Fleming Award funded by private donations through the Shepherd University Foundation to support living history activities.
Ferry Hill Place is the former home of Henry Kyd Douglas, the youngest officer under the command of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson during the Civil War, and author of I Rode with Stonewall. Ferry Hill is a 19th-century plantation house that sits above the C & O Canal and overlooks the scenic Potomac River and historic Shepherdstown.
Ferry Hill Place is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until September and is free of charge. Along with living history programs, Ferry Hill Place also offers interpretive programs led by park rangers and volunteers. New exhibits depict the history of the mansion and the impact of the C & O Canal on the surrounding areas.
