Summer job creates a 150-year time warp

When Harry Caldwell ’22 clocked in for his job at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park the past seven summers, that clock was running a bit behind—by about 150 years.

Caldwell’s job transported him to the 1860s to portray Isaiah Edwards, a young soldier from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, who joined the Union Army in 1864 and was present at the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. As part of the park’s living history team, Caldwell researched Isaiah’s life and developed a script that “Isaiah” shared with visitors.

Now he’s stepped back into the 21st century for good. After completing his master’s degree in public history at James Madison University this spring, he hopes to land a job with the National Park Service. His Longwood degrees are in public history and anthropology/archaeology.