October 1, 2005
Andersonville-- If you travel to the city of Andersonville, you'll be taking a trip back in time.
Music is part of the soundtrack along with the hammering of hot metal. They help to bring back the 1800's. For young and old, it's a history lesson. But if you need to know the history of Andersonville, all you have to do is find Peggy Sheppard.
"Andersonville was founded in 1853 and then when the war broke out in 1861, the confederates decided to put a prison here, mainly because of that railroad track here," says Sheppard. She's been planning the Adersonville Historic Fair for decades.
"For thirty years," says Sheppard.
Sheppard considers 30 years a long time but the years help her to remember all the details of the Andersonville Confederate Prison. "They got off the train right here and marched them and put them in the stockade," says Sheppard. She says many people don't realize the history that Andersonville has. For her, that history comes alive each day.
"I get very excited. I get excited about this museum. I get excited about teaching these young children about the history of Georgia," says Sheppard. She doesn't mind dropping everything to answer questions about the Civil War days. "That's a civil war naval uniform. Not too much different than the one today but the other ones are quite different," says Sheppard when asked about some military uniforms.
But how does one woman remember tons of information? "I do it over and over again and I wrote two books about it. After you do five years of research and write a book, you're going to remember," says Sheppard. And after 30 years of history lessons, she hopes it continues. "I hope it'll keep right on going like it's going," says Sheppard.
The main purpose of the fair is to boost Andersonville as a tourist destination and raise money for historic preservation.
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