Lincoln at the Library–Unheralded Heroines: Women during the Civil War

A new Lincoln at the Library program is happening on August 27, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET! With war erupting in 1861, women were faced with unimaginable challenges and opportunities that had a lasting effect on history. Tune in to hear Paige Gibbons Backus, the Historic Site Manager at Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, discuss this fascinating topic!

Unheralded Heroines: Women during the Civil War

Presented by Paige Gibbons Backus

Missed the event? Watch here: https://archive.org/details/lincoln-at-the-library-unheralded-heroines-women-during-the-civil-war.

On August 27, 2025, at 2pm, the Allen County Public Library is hosting Paige Gibbons Backus via Zoom. She is the Historic Site Manager at Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre (a 19th century courthouse and jail complex with a lot of Civil War history) and Lucasville School (a one-room African American schoolhouse) in Prince William County, Virginia. This free hybrid program, “Unheralded Heroines: Women of the Civil War,” is the latest event in the Lincoln at the Library program series. Backus explores the evolving roles of women during the American Civil War and how those changes would impact women’s rights through the generations to the present day. Join Backus’ presentation via Zoom or attend at the Main Library in meeting room B to view the Zoom stream.

With war erupting in 1861, women were faced with unimaginable challenges and opportunities that had a lasting effect on history. For many left behind at home, their roles began to change for the first time in generations. Many others decided to leave their homes as refugees or to become organizers and members in relief societies, nurses, and many more. The roles women were thrown into during war made them unlikely pioneers for women’s rights. Explore women’s roles and reactions to the Civil War and how they impacted modern women’s rights.

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