The Millersville Area Historical Society (MAHS) will host a presentation titled "The Backbone of Our Country: Women of the Civil War" when it meets at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, in the Millersville Borough Administration & Police Building, 100 Municipal Drive. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and lock at 9:15 a.m.

The speaker will be Columbia native and Civil War historian Cindy Beaston, founder of the General Welsh Post 118: Civil War Roundtable (CWRT).

Before the women's suffrage movement in the 1920s, women were shaping the country during the Civil War. Beaston will discuss how women - as spies, activists, nurses, and wives - helped the war effort and shaped the country. She will provide numerous examples of their efforts during her presentation, which will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

Beaston, a graduate of Columbia High School, studied World War II military history while in college and established the Civil War Roundtable two years ago. Named after Columbia's first general, the General Welsh Post 118: CWRT is located at the Columbia Public Library and is the only CWRT currently operating in Lancaster County. Beaston, whose work has been published, has given lectures at nursing homes and public centers, taken students on a walking tour of Wrightsville to discuss the 1863 skirmish there, and hosted trolley tours at Columbia's RiverFest that focused on the Civil War. She also works at Hempfield recCenter, where she has been teaching water aerobics and swimming for 20 years.

Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. For more details, contact Phil Gerber at 717-872-8837 before noon or at pge8507@aol.com.