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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Old Harrisonburg Guards photograph, late 19th - mid-20th century, SC 0429, James Madison University Special Collections, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Purchased at Green Valley Auctions, August 20, 2026.
The Old Harrisonburg Guards, a local militia, was established in 1877 under the leadership of Captain O. B. Roller. Per a note on the back of the photograph, on May 10, 1892, the Harrisonburg Guards were called out by Governor Philip W. Mckenny to Winchester to guard the jail. On May 12, 1898, the Harrisonburg Guards, with E. W. Sullivan as captain, was mustered into service of the United States toward war efforts in Cuba as part of the Spanish-American War. The company, which became Company C of the 2nd Virginia Regiment, spent the bulk of their time during the summer of 1898 in Jacksonville, Florida. They returned to Harrisonburg on September 23, 1898 and were mustered out of service in December 1898.
A twentieth century facsimile photograph of members of the Old Harrisonburg Guards, a Shenandoah Valley militia, standing in front of an unidentified building. Handwritten annotations relate to the company's membership and history.
The exact date of the photograph and accompanying notes is unknown. The mention of only two living members as of 1951 suggests that the notes at least partially date to circa 1951. Two dates - 1874 and 1888 - are present on the photograph.