Lisa Sievel-Otten will talk about her new “Manassas postcard” book at the Museum July 31

Lisa Sievel-Otten, who has written a new book that portrays Manassas’ history with vintage postcards, will talk about her book at Manassas Museum, 9100 Prince William Street, this coming Sunday, July 31, at 1:30 p.m.

She spent more that a year doing research and writing for the book and said she was “real excited” to see it published “as a labor of love and gift to the city.”

“Manassas” gives a glimpse into life in post-Civil War Manassas through 223 postcards, telling surprising stories from the emerging town and about the creation of Manassas National Battlefield Park, most from the early 1900s.

Many of the book’s images exist only in postcards. Without these postcards, no visual record of many Manassas buildings, sites and streetscapes would remain.

In a time when instant communication meant walking down a street to a neighbor’s house to deliver some news, Manassas citizens also helped to build a strong community by joining churches and civic organizations, said Sievel-Otten. “Much of the town turned out for school concerts and ball games, Dairy festivals and Horse Shows.’

Sievel-Otten, a City of Manassas employee and English major in college, says she became interested in history, “walking over the same ground and being in the same place” where important historical events occurred. When taking her almost daily walks through historic downtown, Sievel-Otten said “I can vividly imagine life in early Manassas where pioneering residents strolled through the same streets, lived in the same homes, worshipped in the same churches, shopped in the same stores and worked in the same buildings.”

Sievel-Otten has led many tours for the Museum, help manages Liberia Plantation’s restoration and produces signage for the Prince William Historic Preservation Division.

The new book sells for $21.99 and is available at Echoes, the Manassas Museum Store and retail outlets in the area. The author intends to donate the proceeds to the Liberia restoration effort.

Sievel-Otten is also the author of “Liberia Plantation: Sentry of the Ages,” a short history published by the Manassas Museum that also benefits Liberia Plantation’s restoration.