Camp Elder: The Strange Story of Westtown’s Union Prisoner of War Camp

Join local historian David Walter for an virtual exploration of a Chester County Civil War POW camp.

After the Battle of Gettysburg, almost 2,000 prisoners of war who had been captured by the Confederate Army were returned to the Union Army under the condition that they would not be returned to the front. Instead, they would be held, under guard, until an equal number of captured Confederate soldiers were returned to the south. The place at which these soldiers were held was called Camp Elder, in Westtown, Chester County, and this is their strange story.

Historian Dave Walter has uncovered the records of this P.O.W. camp and woven a fascinating tale of the stories of those who commanded the camp and those who were its prisoners. His power point presents fascinating tales of tragedy, humor, and even an amazing love story, as these Union soldiers from all over the North were greeted by, and cared for by, the residents of West Chester and surrounding townships.

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Admission is Pay as You Wish! A donation of $10 is greatly appreciated, but if you are unable to make a donation at this time, a limited number of free tickets are available.

Presentation is via Zoom, and will be recorded and available for 7 days for all registered participants. We will email out a Zoom link the day of the presentation, and email a link to the recording within 48 hours. Note: the Zoom link emailed out the day of the presentation only takes you to the live presentation; the link emailed out the day after will contain the recorded version.