Virginia’s Civil War 150 HistoryMobile Coming to Heritage Day on June 3 & 4
Tractor-trailer 'museum on wheels' is filled with interactive exhibits and activities | By Gayle Hillert
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Clifton Forge, VA (April 25, 2016) - History is on the move in Virginia as the Civil War 150 HistoryMobile rolls into Clifton Forge for a one and half -day visit on June 3 and 4 for Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival. The exhibit, an initiative of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, will be located at the Town Hall Parking lot on Main and will be open daily from 4PM to 6PM on June 3 and 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, June 4. Admission to the HistoryMobile is free.
The HistoryMobile’s visit to Clifton Forge is presented as part of the fifth anniversary of Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival. Heritage Day is a celebration of the people who settled the region in music, food, arts and crafts demonstrations and displays and experiential activities.
The HistoryMobile uses immersive spaces and interactive exhibits to draw together stories of the Civil War and emancipation from the viewpoints of those who experienced it across Virginia—young and old, enslaved and free, soldier and civilian.
Visitors will encounter history in ways they may have never experienced before. The HistoryMobile exhibit is divided into four sections: Battlefront, Homefront, Journey to Freedom, and Loss-Gain-Legacy. From the bewildering sense of chaos experienced by soldiers, to the last letter written by a dying son to his father after sustaining a mortal wound, to a hushed conversation between a husband and wife considering the great risks and rewards of fleeing to freedom, the HistoryMobile presents the stories of real people in Virginia whose lives were shaped by the historic events of the 1860s, and invites visitors to imagine, “What Would You Do?”
The Civil War 150 HistoryMobile crosses the state visiting museums, schools, and special events. Its tour began in July 2011, and since then it has made over 200 stops and attracted visitors from every state and a number of other countries.
In addition to learning more about Virginia's history, the HistoryMobile also provides visitors with information from Virginia Tourism about the many historic sites and destinations that they can explore today. Interactive maps and touch-screen kiosks located at the HistoryMobile help visitors to easily plan their next trip.
The HistoryMobile was named a 2013 Leadership in History Award of Merit winner by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history. The Award of Merit is one of the nation’s most prestigious recognitions of achievement in state and local history.
The Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission was created by the General Assembly to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Virginia. In addition to the HistoryMobile, the Commission sponsors programs that include a major gallery exhibition that will be installed at seven museums across Virginia, a statewide document digitization program, a highly-acclaimed annual Signature Conference series, an Emmy-nominated documentary, and much more.
More information on Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival may be found at www.historicmasonictheatre.com and the Historic Masonic Theatre & Masonic Amphitheatre Facebook page.
More information on the Civil War 150 HistoryMobile and the initiatives of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission can be found at www.VirginiaCivilWar.org. For information on visiting Civil War sites throughout Virginia go to www.Virginia.org/CivilWar.
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