Arts & Entertainment

Cannons, Camps, Demos to Animate Civil War Education

In honor of the sesquicentennial, Bartow History Museum and Booth Western Art Museum teamed to offer Civil War Comes Alive!, which also includes entertainment and museum visits.

With cannon fire, Abraham Lincoln and clashing camps, two Cartersville museums are set to show visitors the Civil War for a second time during the sesquicentennial observance.

and partnered to produce Civil War Comes Alive! each April of the five-year observance of the 150th anniversary of the war, or through 2015. Meant to teach visitors about all aspects of the Civil War, the event this year is set for Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the two museums and the Booth's festival grounds.

Despite a lack of battle re-enactments, Civil War Comes Alive! will include demonstrations of various aspects of the war, including a medical or hospital tent, a blacksmith operation, music, signaling, a look at life on the home front, Confederate and Union infantry camps, a sutler and a cavalry camp.

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An artillery camp also will demonstrate cannon fire at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.

“We are excited to announce this educational event, not only because it coincides with the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, but also because Bartow County has so many ties to the war,” Bartow History Museum Executive Director Trey Gaines said in a press release. “We had the Battle at Allatoona here in Bartow County, and also produced several officers from this area.

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"Civil War Comes Alive! will be an opportunity for visitors—of all ages—to experience the various aspects of the war and hopefully gain a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the men who served.”

Visitors who prefer to sit back and relax may enjoy accompanying entertainment, including the 8th Regiment Band with music from both the Confederate and Union armies at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Abraham Lincoln recites the Gettysburg Address at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 3 p.m.

Participants should tour War is Hell, the Booth’s Civil War art gallery, and visit Bartow History Museum's exhibits highlighting local life—from before the Civil War to today.

Admission to Civil War Comes Alive! is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors; $7 for students; $3 for children, 12 and under; and free for Booth and history museum members and active military with ID. The prices include access to festival grounds and admission to both museums. 

For more information about Civil War Comes Alive!, including details about the school program to be offered Friday, April 27, visit www.boothmuseum.org or www.bartowhistorymuseum.org, or call 770-387-1300.


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