Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Catawba County Library Will Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit in December

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 the role our state played in the Civil War (1861-1865), a defining period in United States history. It will visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras and the Catawba County Library in Hickory from Dec. 2-29 on simultaneous eastern and western routes.

 “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.”

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) will illustrate valiant members of the Confederacy, African Americans fighting for freedom, and daring women dedicated to the South. A total of 24 images will be exhibited by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state from April 2011 to May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and seeking viewer comments.

 Among the photos is an image of Parker D. Robbins, who was listed in an 1850 census as a mixed-race mechanic (Chowanoke Indian, black, and white). He served in the 2^nd United States Colored Calvary and later served as one of the first Black Republicans in the North Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1868.

For info rmation on the December displays call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at (252) 986-2995 or the Catawba County Library at (828) 294-2343. For more info rmation on the statewide tour visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.