Civil War History Day

Join the Southern Museum on Saturday, June 11 for Civil War History Day. A variety of activities will take place from 9:30 AM to 5 PM. Guests will be greeted by a Union encampment on the front lawn. Educators in period uniforms with reproduction objects will discuss the daily life of a Civil War soldier on and off the battlefield. They will also lead historic musketry firing demonstrations. Artisans and craftspeople will be inside the museum demonstrating nineteenth-century skills, such as quilting, chair caning, hand spinning, carpentry, and sewing with antique machines. Noted historian and author Michael Shaffer will give a talk in the museum’s theater at 10 AM and 2 PM about the history of Camp McDonald, Georgia’s largest training location during the war. (Located near downtown Kennesaw, the former site of Camp McDonald is within walking distance of the museum.) A fife and drum performance will follow at 11:35 AM, 1 PM, and 3:35 PM. Movies about railroads during the Civil War will be shown at 11 AM, noon, 3 PM, and 4 PM. Crafts and interactives for children of all ages will be taking place throughout the day, and a Civil War-themed model train layout will be on display in the museum lobby.