As living historians we are also preserving our Civil War Heritage. Several years ago, we formed the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association which is a volunteer-based community organization composed of individuals, living historians and community organizations dedicated to preserving the Civil War history of the battles of Monterey Pass, Fairfield Pass, Smithsburg and the Emmitsburg and Waynesboro Turn Pike and the troops movements that were recorded in the area. For more information about the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association, please visit our other website.

We also created the Civil War Heritage of Emmitsburg which combines the mission statements of the Emmitsburg Historical Society and the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association. The mission statement of the Emmitsburg Historical Society is “To identify and capture the history of the people, organizations, businesses and events that have shaped our community. And to provide this information to those seeking to learn more about our rich history, or their own local ancestral roots." Complementing this is the mission of the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association, which seeks to "identify and raise awareness to educate the public about the historical Civil War significance of the Monterey Area and the Emmitsburg and Waynesboro Turnpike." The combined efforts of the two historical societies will serve to call attention to Emmitsburg’s Civil War heritage by working with community leaders, community organizations and businesses. By increasing public awareness of the Civil War Heritage of Emmitsburg, we hope to achieve our goal of preserving this history for future generations. 

Due to it's strategic location, the South Mountain range played an important role in military actions during the Civil War. It is with this in mind that we include the South Mountain Recreation Area as part of our preservation efforts. We have developed and participated in several programs that are solely dedicated to the history of the South Mountain area. Members of the Cumberland Valley Rifles and the Civilians of the Cumberland Valley have volunteered their time to give lectures, cannon demonstrations and historic tours of the area. Our members were instrumental in the development and installation of the Maryland Civil War Trails wayside exhibit (War Returns to South Mountain) located inside of Pen Mar Washington County Park.