Public Libraries of Johnston and Rowan Counties Will Display

Public Libraries of Johnston and Rowan Counties Will Display

“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Photo Exhibit in June

RALEIGH – Destruction was felt around homes and communities as backyards were turned into battlefields in North Carolina during the Civil War (1861-1865). Widespread suffering impacted all North Carolinians regardless of race, class and gender.


The involvement of Confederate soldiers, African Americans and women is depicted in the Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit (www.nccivilwar150.com), which will visit the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield June 1-29 and the Rowan Public Library in Salisbury June 2-29.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina 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 honor North Carolinians and their dedication throughout 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 total of 24 images is being displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state on eastern and western routes from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts those involved in the war including images of artifacts and official documents. Amy Harper of Johnston County is one woman highlighted in the exhibit who exemplifies the sacrifice of women and families. The home of Amy Harper served as a field hospital during the Battle of Bentonville March 19-21, 1865; today the Harper House still stands and can be visited at the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

Many of the images depict artifacts that help to illustrate the individuals of the time period. One illustrates a slave shoe which exemplifies craftsmanship and footwear of the Civil War era. Similar to a military “ Jefferson ” bootee, the homemade leather shoe is attached by iron nails and outlined with bradded metal horseshoes. The wooden sole is hand carved and contoured, and attached with a leather strap. The slave shoe currently belongs in a collection of the North Carolina Museum of History.

For info rmation on the exhibit, call the Public Library of Johnston County/Smithfield at (919) 934-8146 or the Rowan Public Library at (704) 216-8228. For tour info rmation, contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

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 http://www.ncculture.com/