“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Exhibit at Mount Airy Public Library in April

RALEIGH – Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The Mount Airy Public Library will host the traveling exhibit April 8-28, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

“The Civil War occurred when photography was just becoming popular and became the first conflict to be widely recorded in this manner,” explains N.C. State Historic Sites Division Director Keith Hardison. “Battlefield images fascinated the public and acquainted them, in a dramatic way, with the horrors of war. The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit presents images that compare and contrast the conditions of war, then and now.”

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources will display 24 images from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). The “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” exhibit has been traveling around the state on simultaneous eastern and western routes since April 2011, with 50 libraries and four museums showcasing its visuals that present gallant women, African American triumph and the perseverance of Confederate soldiers. A notebook accompanies the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

One of the images is a portrait of three Confederate colonels who served with the 26th Regiment, N.C. Troops: Zebulon Vance, who became governor; Henry Burgwyn, who was promoted when Vance resigned; and John Randolph Lane, who was Burgwyn’s lieutenant colonel.

For information on the exhibit call the library at 336-789-5108. For tour information visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call 919-807-7389.