2023 Carter Society Reunion - Manassas Virginia

Announcement

The Carter Society - 22nd Annual Reunion & Meeting

Manassas, Virginia
September 20 – 24, 2023

Henry Hill House at Manassas Battlefield Park

Dear Carter Society Members and Friends,

It is with great pleasure that we, the 2023 Reunion Committee, extend to you an invitation to attend The Carter Society’s 22nd Annual Reunion. Our theme this year is:

Carters, Cannons, and the Zodiac Plantations
The Carter Homes and Families of Northern Virginia

We continue our quest to explore our Carter roots, their homes, and legacy in a redefining nation. The Carters in Northern Virginia were landowners of an extraordinary amount of land amassed by Robert “King” Carter. His grandson, Robert “Councillor” Carter would inherit it all along with several hundred slaves. Although Councillor Carter inherited and owned hundreds of slaves, his growing opposition to the institution echoed the antislavery sentiments in the 1780s. On August 1, 1791, he executed a deed of emancipation for more than 500 of his enslaved African Americans. It was probably the largest emancipation by an individual person in the United States before 1860. At his death, he divided his Virginia estates among his surviving children and grandchildren, who drew lots for their portions, many of which originated as The Zodiac Plantations. These children and grandchildren would see firsthand this country divided by a Civil War over slavery and other issues. The wealth and power of the Carters of this line would change dramatically during and after the Civil War. We will explore some of the descendants, visit their homes and graves, and learn about changes in their way of life as our country moved from the plantation era through the Civil War. From fabulous plantations, field hospitals and headquarters for troops, the homes and lifestyles of the Carter descendants would be redefined just as the country in which they lived.

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Agenda

Wednesday – September 20, 2023

Tours on your own. Some options to consider (not included in registration fee):

Washington, D.C. – too many sites to list but you will be close enough to visit some.
Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center - 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the museum in Washington, DC. Hundreds of historically significant air- and spacecraft, along with thousands of small artifacts, are on display in an open, hangar-like setting. Other features of the Center include the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, the Airbus IMAX Theater, and the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where visitors can watch museum specialists at work restoring artifacts.
Sully Historic Site - 3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA. Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 703-437-1794. Sully was completed in 1799 by Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first Representative to Congress. He was married to Elizabeth Collins. It is on the National Register for Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Jennie Dean Memorial – 9601 Wellington Road, Manassas, VA. A five-acre archaeological site located on the original site of the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth. Founded by a former slave, Jennie Dean, the school offered academic and vocational training in a residential school.
Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park - 10708 Bristow Rd., Bristow, VA. Open Park grounds and trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset free of charge. Guided tours are offered at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on the second and fourth weekend of the month from May through October. 703-366-3049. Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park is a 140-acre historic site in western Prince William County. Here, Federal and Confederate soldiers fought the Battle of Kettle Run on August 27, 1862 and the Battle of Bristoe Station on October 14, 1863. This peaceful landscape features more than 2.7 miles of walking and equestrian trails. Wildlife abounds in the fields, woods, and ponds.
Mayfield Fort - 8401 Quarry Road, Manassas, VA. Confederate troops occupied the fort from 1861-1862, and Union troops occupied the fort from 1862 to-1864. Paved path to top of fort, interpretive markers and benches, remains of the Hooe family farm, “Mayfield.”
Cannon Branch & Mayfield Earthwork Forts - 10611 Gateway Boulevard, Manassas, VA. Sunrise to Sunset daily. Two surviving Civil War forts in Manassas, Cannon Branch Fort was built by Union troops in 1864 to help defend rail lines from Confederate raids. Mayfield Earthwork Fort, built by Confederate forces, also to defend the town’s rail lines.
Manassas Battlefield Park, Henry Hill Visitors Center - 6511 Sudley Rd, Manassas, VA. Daily 9 am – 5 pm. 703-361-1339. We will be visiting the Henry Hill site, but the Park has so much more to see. Consider the driving tour and pick up a map at the Visitors Center. There is a wonderful gift shop here. *The Carter Cemetery can be accessed by parking at the US Park Ranger and Law Enforcement Office, 10606 Lee Hwy, Manassas and from there a ¾ mile walk on a groomed path. No headstones to view. See the Blue Book for those known to be buried here.

Hotel check-in begins at 3:00 pm. Registration Bags will be available at the front desk for each Carter Reunion attendee. They are marked with your name. If it is not given to you at check in, please request one from the front desk attendant.

6:00 – 7:00 pm – Social Hour (cash bar) at the hotel lounge/bar area.

7:00 – 8:30 pm – Dinner at Public House Kitchen and Brewery, 9406 Battle Street, Manassas

(Not included in registration fee)

Thursday – September 21, 2023 - First Day of the Reunion

9:00 am Travel to Old Manassas Courthouse – 9250 Lee Ave, Manassas, VA

“A New World Aristocracy – The Carters of Virginia”

11:00 am Travel to Historic Manassas Visitor Center and Depot Gift Shop

9431 West Street, Manassas, VA

Historic Old Town shopping and lunch on your own-many options in Old Town

12:45 pm Meet at Historic Manassas Visitor Center Depot parking to travel to Liberia House
1:30 pm Tour Liberia House – 8601 Portner Ave., Manassas, VA
2:45 pm Free time or optional tour: We will have leaders for each group: all locations are on

hiking paths and require ½-1 mile walking each way

Ball Cemetery and Portici, home and burial place of Elizabeth Landon Carter Ball
Carter Cemetery, burial place of Landon Carter, Jr. (no headstones remain) and Pittsylvania House site – built by Landon Carter, Jr. (no ruins)
Driving tour of Manassas Battlefield Park – on your own with a map

5:00 pm Lobby Bar for cocktails and conversation
6:00 pm Dinner – BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, 13930 Promenade Commons St., Gainesville,

VA (located in a shopping mall)

8:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting – Hotel Conference Room

Friday, September 22

8:15 am Leave hotel for Manassas National Battlefield Park

6511 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA

Henry Hill Visitor Center – excellent book and gift shop

9:00 am Visitor’s Center Theater for “End of Innocence” a 45-minute film that covers both the

First and Second Battles of Manassas

10:00 am Guided Walking Tour of Henry Hill – Douglas Samuel Carter

Walk to grave of Judith Carter Henry (First Battle of Manassas) - Wreath Laying

11:30 Lunch - Juke Box Diner

8637 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA

1:00 pm Ben Lomond Historic Site

10321 Sudley Manor Dr., Manassas, VA

3:30 pm Annual Meeting at Hotel Conference Room
5:00 pm Lobby Bar for cocktails and conversation
6:00 pm Dinner – Bella Vita, 9675 Liberia Ave, Manassas, VA (located in a strip shopping center)

Saturday, September 23

9:00 am Leave hotel for Oatlands Plantation

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA

12:00 pm Lunch on grounds
3:00 pm Depart Oatlands to return to Hotel
5:00 pm Lobby Bar for cocktails and conversation
6:00 pm Dinner – City Tavern Grille, 9550 Center St., Manassas, VA

Blue Book

tab Registration Form|blue

The Carter Society

22nd Annual Meeting and Reunion
September 20 – 24, 2023

Reunion Registration Form

You will need Adobe^® Reader to read the Invitation letter and/or the Registration Form after downloading. If you don't have it, get a free copy here:

Use the icons at the top of the form below to download or print a copy of the registration form.

tab Hotel|gray

Hilton Garden Inn Manassas

7001 Infantry Ridge Road

Manassas, Virginia, 20109

(703) 392-7000

As in years past, you will book your own room directly with the hotel. Please note, the cutoff date for booking your room at the special Carter Reunion rate is August 20, 2023. Amenities at the hotel are:

• Free parking
• Free WiFi
• Non-smoking rooms
• Digital Key
• EV charging
• Streaming TV
• Outdoor patio and firepit

• On-site restaurant and bar
• Indoor pool
• Fitness center
• Pet-friendly rooms
• Business center
• Laundry facilities

The price per room for 2 Queen Beds or a Standard King is $135.00 plus tax. This price includes a full breakfast and starts Wednesday, September 20, 2022. The web address below will allow you to book the Carter Society rate and specify the days you plan to stay.

If you prefer to call the hotel directly to book your reservation, the phone number is: 703-392-7000. You will need to reference the code “CAR” to get the group rate.

Click here to book your hotel reservation online

Photos

Photos made at the reunion will be posted here during and after the reunion.

When accessing the photos, click once on a thumbnail below to open it photo in a larger window. Use the buttons on the larger photo to scroll through the photos, or view a slide show. Use a button on the thumbnail to download a copy of the photo.

Click once on a thumbnail below to open it photo in a larger window. Use the buttons on the larger photo to scroll through the photos, or view a slide show. Use a button on the thumbnail to download a copy of the photo.