Nantahala Regional Library System Will Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit at Four Sites in June

RALEIGH – Determination, commitment and pride are among many characteristics of North Carolinians depicted in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com).The exhibit commemorates North Carolina’s role in the Civil War (1861-1865), a defining period in United States history.

The statewide traveling exhibit will visit the Nantahala Regional Library in June: at the Graham Library June 1-8, the Andrews Library June 9-15, the Murphy Library June 16-22 and the Moss Library in Hayesville June 23-29.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “ The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

Images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (http://www.nchistoricsites.org) will illustrate valiant members of the Confederacy, African Americans fighting for freedom, and daring women dedicated to the South. A total of 24 images is being exhibited by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncdcr.gov) in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 to spring 2013. A notebook accompanies the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

Among the photos will be an image of a rare dress from the Civil War period from the collection of the Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville. The inscription written inside the bodice reads: “Janie W. Robeson/1864/calico $8 pr yd brought on blockade str from Nassau Bermuda [Bahama] island.” It tells that a blockade runner brought the fabric into North Carolina, which was purchased for a dress for Janie W. Robeson.

For information on the Nantahala tour call (828) 837-2025. For information on the exhibit visitwww.nccivilwar150.com or call (919) 807-7389.