Museum Commemorates 150th Anniversary with Civil War Heritage Day
Museum Commemorates 150th Anniversary with Civil War Heritage Day
The Georgia Southern University Museum is hosting Civil War Heritage Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 24 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The event will include living history demonstrations, displays of prized artifacts, and opportunities to talk with archeologists, historians and educators about Camp Lawton and the Sesquicentennial.
“The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, in Charleston, S.C., and people around the United States will commemorate this time by learning more about the war and its impact on our country,” said Brent Tharp, director of the Georgia Southern Museum. “We are combining living history displays with exhibits of important Civil War artifacts unearthed by Georgia Southern University archaeology students. Archaeologists, researchers and historians will be on hand to provide people with insight into one of the most pivotal points in U.S. history.”
Visitors will be transported back in time as the University’s Sweetheart Circle is transformed into a Civil War encampment site. Living history interpreters will re-enact scenes demonstrating artillery, and other activities include musket firing, field surgery, blacksmithing and Civil War era-crafts.
Inside the Museum, visitors can tour an exhibit of unique Civil War artifacts unearthed at the site of Camp Lawton in Millen, Ga. The artifacts were found in 2010 by a group of Georgia Southern archaeology students working to pinpoint the boundaries of the Civil War’s largest prison camp. The group found dozens of artifacts, many of them personal items that belonged to Union soldiers held captive in the Confederate prison camp.
“This is a perfect opportunity for visitors to see these pieces for themselves and even speak to the student researchers who unearthed them,” said Tharp.
The day’s events will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Georgia Southern’s Sweetheart Circle and the Museum. Admission is $5 per person and includes both the encampment and museum. Admission is free of charge to Museum members and current Georgia Southern students with a valid student ID. Proceeds help support Georgia Southern Museum Exhibition projects. For more information, please call 912-478-5444 or visit the museum's website.
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