The cedar trees have grown, Eric Powell thought as he recently drove by Pelham’s Corner — a tract of Fredericksburg battlefield preserved and maintained by Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. He remembered the day nearly two years ago when students came from local high schools to cleanPelham’s Corner, plant small cedars, and learn about the site’s history. On that day, Eric had encouraged students to take pride in their volunteerism and work, telling them that as the years passed they will see the trees’ growth and perhaps even bring their own children there someday.
Helping students explore and connect with history is a life-long commitment for Eric. He has spent 31 years in education, after graduating from Radford University with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and later adding two master degrees, one in history and one in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has taught in Stafford High School’s classrooms and now serves as a Social Studies Specialist for Stafford County Schools. Through his
Eric Powell serves as the Secretary and the Education Director on the CVBT Board, bringing his expertise and career experience to create meaningful learning moments on the battlefields. career, Eric has received numerous awards, including Stafford County Teacher of the Year, the 1998 Region III Virginia Teacher of the Year, and the Brenton S. Halsey Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Virginia Historical Society in 2001.
Inquiry and exploration are words and concepts at the core of Eric’s teaching and planning philosophy. “I want to get kids excited about learning and give them opportunities to explore our past with all its impacts and causes. That’s what helps us understand the challenges today,” he explained. One of the ways that he has been directly fostering and implementing this principle is by helping school districts and classroom teachers make shifts from test preparation to engaging students, particularly helping students make connections with the history in their local community.
Eric brings his skills and passion to the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust board of directors as the Secretary and Education Director and has volunteered with this preservation organization since 2013. Some of his education initiatives include helping create historical videos, a project supported with a grant from the Duff McDuff Community Fund. The (usually) annual Youth Community Service Day is hosted at a battlefield site that needs a little extra love and care. The kids assist with clean up, planting or other light outdoor activities for a few hours and then spend the rest of the excursion learning about the site’s history and how they can be advocates for historic preservation and greenspace. Eric reaches out to teachers and students in civics classes and the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society to engage in action and community service directly on the battlefields. Once on the land, students are in an open-air classroom and able to consider the history that happened, ask questions, and consider what that history means to them personally.
As Eric pointed out, “When we preserve battlefield land, it is saving a piece of history for us to explore. It’s a place to ask questions: how do you feel about what happened here? Whether the student’s answers start with immediate inspiration or a negative view, it’s a way to engage in conversation about the past and bring historical perspectives and facts into the teaching moment. When students look at the past, I want them to see that our nation has gone through lots of challenges. It hasn’t always been good. That’s learning and life, and we all have the opportunity to go forward and continue this experiment in self-government.”
Eric Powell goes beyond helping to create teaching moments and preserving outdoor classrooms. He regularly engages in his own adventures to explore the past. As a member of the 47th Virginia Infantry, Co. I, “The Stafford Guard,” Eric participates in living history events and programs throughout the region. These activities are closely connected to his own first introduction to Civil War history and exploration: playing soldier at age five. He reconnected with “playing soldier” years later when a student invited him to a reenactment, when Eric remembered his deep interest in Civil War studies and the lives of the common soldiers.
Since 1992, he has been putting on a wool uniform, going on marches, demonstrating skills and drill of a Civil War soldier, and going where invited in communities across Virginia to share pieces of the past “come to life.” Some of his most memorable experiences in the field were at Gettysburg, Appomattox, an 8-mile march near Manassas, organizing the 150th reenactment of the Battle of Fredericksburg, and a freezing night of picket duty along the Rappahannock River.
The 47th Virginia Infantry unit actively encourages research and study, hosting staff rides and special tactical events for their members. Members value education and are especially pleased to support battlefield preservation through volunteer work days or financial assistance. In 2019, The 47th Virginia Infantry received the Dr. Michael P. Stevens Preservation Award from Central Virginia Battlefields Trust in recognition of their continuous support of preservation and quality education in the local community.
While 2020’s Covid-19 restrictions limited the living history events and options for bringing students on volunteer or field trip days, Eric Powell continued to work behind the scenes at CVBT, planning new resources and adventures connected to Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. He has been particularly working on finding ways to bring local history from this area into the state-approved curriculums and helping teachers find ways to connect their students with the local stories. “Finding ways to tie local history to teaching and curriculum is so important. That’s how we help students make connections within the community and consider the lessons, challenges, and triumphs of the past,” Eric explained. “It’s also how we can build the next generation of grassroots, local preservationists who appreciate the stories of the past held in the land that is right here in the community, and maybe even their backyard.”
As Central Virginia Battlefields Trust celebrates 25 years of preserving land at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House, Eric Powell is looking forward to the years ahead, feeling excited about finding new opportunities to connect kids and communities to the ever-growing conversations about the past. Stepping out of the classroom and onto a preserved piece of Civil War battlefield may create different experiences for each student, but those are moments that Eric wants them to explore and learn and they look at the past and build a brighter future.