Civil War Book Group: Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery: Joe McGill

Park Event · Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park · Sep 2, 2026 · 6:00 PM–7:00 PM

Welcome to the Civil War Book Group! After years of conflict over the institution of slavery, the Civil War would be the turning point that set the course of the United States into the 20th century and beyond. Join us on the first Wednesday of each month as we explore the meaning of the Civil War and how the past has shaped who we are today through a diverse selection of narratives, novels, and histories. In partnership with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.

September 2, 2026

Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery: Joe McGill

6pm-7pm

Meet at Fredericksburg Library Branch (1201 Caroline St., Fredericksburg)

Joe McGill founded the Slave Dwelling Project with the intent of visiting, and sleeping in, existing structures dating back to the era of slavery in the United States. The book combines historical commentary and personal reflection as McGill visits sites of enslavement.

This book is being read in conjunction with a Slave Dwelling Project event in the city of Fredericksburg on Sept. 11-13, 2026. For more information about the event, see here . For a talk by the author, see here.

Source: National Park Service (public domain).