'Once-in-a-lifetime' Civil War exhibit opens at Lynchburg Museum

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'Once-in-a-lifetime' Civil War exhibit opens at Lynchburg Museum

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The Lynchburg Museum, 901 Court St., will display the “An American Turning Point: Waging War” exhibit through May 5. Visitors can take self-guided tours. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2013 2:45 am | Updated: 6:49 pm, Sat Jan 12, 2013.
Justin Faulconer
K.M. Beasley brought his grandson to the Lynchburg Museum Saturday to gain insight about the Civil War through a new exhibit that spans all three floors of the Court Street museum.
Before leaving, a satisfied Beasley concluded that he had learned as much or more than the boy did.

The Buckingham County resident was among dozens of people who took advantage of the exhibit’s kickoff on Saturday. Organized by the Virginia Historical Society in partnership with the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, “An American Turning Point: Waging War” showcases dozens of artifacts and utilizes state-of-the-art audio-visual programs to tell the story of how the people of Virginia experienced the war.
Harriet Whitten, who came in time for the inaugural tour of the exhibit Saturday morning, said she thought it brought a “different approach” to the war that helped her identify more with the people and places caught up in the rending chapter of American history.
“I just feel like we are very fortunate to have this kind of exhibit come to Lynchburg and want to support it,” Whitten said.
The exhibit is the second part of the “American Turning Point” display. The first phase, “Surviving War,” was on display at the Lynchburg Museum from July to November. “Waging War” will run through May 5.
Lynchburg is among seven localities in the state to host the exhibit, which focuses on Virginia as the major battleground of the war.
The exhibit, funded in part by $1 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities, focuses on technology, weaponry and leadership on the battlefields to help visitors consider how the war 150 years ago reshaped American society and is still felt today.
Lynchburg Museum Director Doug Harvey said the exhibit is a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance for residents to learn about the war through rare artifacts and “intense” interactive audiovisual displays. There are more than 200 artifacts included in the displays.
For example, a spear or “pike” belonging to famous abolitionist John Brown is displayed along with an authentic slave collar, which Harvey said can be hard to find. A pocket watch belonging to General Stonewall Jackson also is part of the display, as well as a compass owned by Jedediah Hotchkiss, a cartographer who mapped the Shenandoah Valley for the Confederate Army.
A touch-screen display called “Landscapes Turned Red” can, at the push of a button, take viewers into bloody conflicts in Virginia — including the Battle of Lynchburg and the Battle of Appomattox County Courthouse.
An element of the exhibit called “The Face of Battle” shows a battlefield scene that gives visitor a 3D setting with sound effects. The depicted actors were photographed in Kansas City, said Andy Talkov, exhibition coordinator of the Virginia Historical Society, who led the morning tour.
The battle actually took place in western Virginia, and pitted men on both sides of the conflict who were raised in the same towns and counties, Talkov said.
More than 2,000 battles took place in Virginia, the most of any state, he said. He pointed out the exhibit is not just a story about Virginians, since many came from far away states such as California, Texas and Maine and died on Virginia soil.
The exhibit showcases experiences from people who lived the war but were not as known in history books.
“Our exhibit is about the stories of everyday people,” Talkov said.
An example is Siah Carter, a 22-year-old slave at Shirley Plantation in Charles City County who rowed a boat to freedom and was taken aboard the USS Monitor for three years, where he became a first assistant to the ship’s cook and served in the Union Army.
James E. Hanger’s story is also depicted. The Confederate soldier from Richmond was the war’s first amputee who lost a leg at the Battle of Philippi in West Virginia. He had fought a single day when he sustained the injury.
Federal, state and private funding invested more than $2 million into the project, Harvey said.
The Lynchburg Museum, which dates back to 1855, also was part of Virginia during the Civil War. The modernized building has the security systems and fire protection to meet the criteria to host the exhibit at no additional expense, Harvey said.
“We’re honored to have it,” he said. “It’s a remarkable gift to Lynchburg.”

Contact Justin Faulconer at (434) 385-5556 or [email protected].

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/civil_war/article_b03ee8ee-5d11-11e2-84ac-001a4bcf6878.html
 
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