Alleghany County Public Library Honors “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory”

Alleghany County Public Library Honors “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory”

With Civil War Photography Exhibit on Display May 2-28

RALEIGH – Since the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865) 150 years have passed, but its widespread impact and defining characteristics remain vivid. These can especially be seen in North Carolina due to the state’s role in the war as illustrated by the Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit (www.nccivilwar150.com). The exhibit will be hosted by Alleghany County Public Library from May 2-28, honoring North Carolinians in the Civil War with a variety of images.


“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.”

The exhibit will travel the state from April 2011 through May 2013, visiting 50 libraries and several museums with its showcase of 24 images. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and seeking viewer comments.

Among the various pictures is an image of a mourning ring crafted by a North Carolina Confederate soldier. The ring, made out of a type of easily-carved rubber called guttapercha, contains mother-of-pearl and gold inlay. Mourning rings were used to buy various items in prison like socks and were also fashionably worn by Southern women as a symbol for loved ones fighting or fallen in the war.

Call the Alleghany Public Library (336) 372-5573 for more info rmation on the exhibit. Contact the Department of Cultural Resources (919) 807-7389 for tour info rmation.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.