FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Please see the mid-Atlantic destination contacts noted in each section below. For
general Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance information, please contact:
Alicia M. Quinn
Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau
MATPRA Chairperson, 2012-13
(570) 421-5791 x 3121
[email protected]
30+ Must-See Civil War Exhibits and Sites throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region
(U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region, February 19, 2013) The Mid-Atlantic region (matpra.org) saw some of the
most ferocious fighting in our country’s history during the Civil War. More than 150 years later, travelers
following in the footsteps of citizens and soldiers of this epoch can learn via historic exhibits,
reenactments and special events about troop movements before, during and after major battles and
minor skirmishes; advances in medical treatments for the thousands of casualties that resulted; and of the
many sacrifices that townsfolk in the path of the conflagration endured. (For more information, please
contact the state tourism office or the CVB listed.)
Delaware
Abraham Lincoln visited Wilmington on June 10, 1848 to endorse Zachary Taylor’s presidential bid.
Twenty-two years later in 1862, as President, Lincoln unsuccessfully tried to implement a plan to
purchase the freedom of Delaware’s slaves in a failed attempt to end the Civil War in its early stages.
Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lyn Lewis, [email protected],
VisitWilmingtonDE.com.
Located in Seaford, at the stately Ross Mansion and Plantation, visitors may view and experience a
picturesque Italian style villa, once home to 19th century Delaware Gov. William Henry Harrison Ross, a
southern sympathizer and rumored arms smuggler during the Civil War. Southern Delaware Tourism,
James Diehl, [email protected], visitsoutherndelaware.com.
Maryland
From the first bloodshed of the Civil War to the assassination of the president of the United States, from
lost orders to freedom found, Maryland’s four Civil War Trails and Underground Railroad map guides lead
visitors to places that witnessed national history being made 150 years ago. Maryland Office of Tourism,
Connie Yingling, [email protected], visitmaryland.org.
Pinkney Hall at St. John’s College in Annapolis served as a hospital for treating both Union and
Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The basement of the school’s nearby Humphreys Hall was
used as a morgue. Today, Humphreys houses the college bookstore, which is open to the public.
Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, Susan Steckman,
[email protected], VisitAnnapolis.org.
“The War Came By Train” is the B&O Railroad Museum’s primary attraction for the five-year
commemoration of the war’s sesquicentennial. The National Landmark Roundhouse displays the largest
assemblage of Civil War railroad equipment in the world and features personal artifacts that changes
annually to portray each year of the war. Visit Baltimore, Moneé Cottman, [email protected],
Baltimore.org.
Many African-American men from Calvert County enlisted into the U.S. Colored Troops at recruitment
centers in Lower Marlboro and Prince Frederick. The soldiers trained across the Patuxent River at Camp
Stanton in Benedict. Upon their return they helped build communities in Calvert, some of which survive
and thrive today. Calvert County Department of Economic Development, Joyce Stinnett Baki,
[email protected], ChooseCalvert.com.
Remember events that changed the nation as you tour the National Museum of Civil War Medicine or
walk the grounds of Monocacy National Battlefield. Retrace the steps of Union and Confederate soldiers
on the roads to Antietam and Gettysburg with the Maryland Civil War Trail driving tour program. Visit
Frederick, Michelle Kershner, [email protected], visitfrederick.org.
Visit Civil War battlefields and historic sites, including Antietam National Battlefield, South Mountain State
Battlefield and Fort Frederick State Park. During 2013 there are several 150th Battle Anniversary events
planned surrounding the Battles of Hagerstown, Boonsboro, Williamsport and Monterey Pass. See the
Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau,
Thomas B. Riford, [email protected], marylandmemories.com.
Howard County, Maryland is the home of America’s oldest railroad terminus, now the B&O Railroad
Museum: Ellicott City Station, as well as nine stops along Maryland’s Civil War Trails. Union troops spent
most of the war guarding this critical supply line. Howard County Tourism & Promotion, Lori Paddy,
[email protected], VisitHowardCounty.com.
The Civil War Comes to Rockville on June 29, 2013. Held in conjunction with Heritage Days Weekend,
the event commemorates the arrival of J.E.B. Stuart and his troops with walking tours of Civil War trails,
musical performances by the Washington Revels, crafts and games and a Civil War dance. Conference
and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County, MD Inc., Bethany Mattocks,
[email protected], visitmontgomery.com.
Union loyalty and Southern sympathy describes St. Mary's peninsula during the Civil War. The story
unfolds at Point Lookout State Park, site of a Confederate prison camp, at monuments to the Confederate
soldier and United States Colored Troops and at Sotterley Plantation with its African-American story and
1830s slave cabin. St. Mary’s County Tourism, Rebecca Lira, [email protected],
VisitStMarysMd.com.
Pennsylvania
Discover four life size historic figures and other special items during a Traveling Civil War exhibit during
its stop at the Senator Walter Lowrie House. The exhibit is open April 6 - 27 only! Don't miss out on this
500 square foot, Western PA focused Civil War exhibit. Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau,
Patti Jo Lambert, [email protected], VisitButlerCounty.com.
History comes to life in Boalsburg, PA, the birthplace of Memorial Day, where letters sent home by Civil
War soldiers are showcased to illustrate their daily struggles and the inspiration they drew from to get
through it. Visit the Centre County Historic Society, PA Military Museum and Boalsburg Museum. Central
PA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Christie Black, [email protected], VisitPennState.org.
150 years ago our country was engulfed in turmoil. Battles for hearts and minds raged over union and
secession, freedom and slavery. Chester County Historical Society brings this experience to life capturing
the hopes, struggles, victories and losses of local men and women who lived during our nation's bloodiest
war. Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau, Nina Kelly, [email protected],
BrandywineValley.com.
Copperheads liberated arrested deserters in Troutville, and secret societies formed to resist the draft
and gather slaves. In October 1864, a recruitment officer was killed in Lawrence Township by a draft
deserter, so the government sent troops. Only New York City had more civil violence than Clearfield
County during war. Visit Clearfield County, Holly Komonczi, [email protected],
VisitClearfieldCounty.org.
Experience the heart and history of the Civil War on the trails of Cumberland Valley PA. Discover
Underground Railroad sites in Boiling Springs, the northern most Confederate monument in
Mechanicsburg and the engaging exhibits at the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center and the
Cumberland County Historical Society in Carlisle. Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, Kristen Rowe,
[email protected], visitcumberlandvalley.com.
Franklin County IS Civil War Country, and each community has a story to tell. General Robert E. Lee’s
men marched through Greencastle as part of “The Gettysburg Campaign,” Waynesboro spent 15 days
under the Confederate flag, and nearly every building in Chambersburg was burned during the summer of
1864. Franklin County Visitors Bureau, Scott Hershberger, [email protected],
ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com.
This historic town will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War’s most famous battle
in 2013 with re-enactments, soldier encampments, special tours and programs and the opening of the
Seminary Ridge Museum. In November, Gettysburg will mark the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s
famous Gettysburg Address. Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, Carl Whitehill,
[email protected], gettysburg.travel.
Discover the fascinating life of our nation’s sixteenth President. The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in
Allentown is featuring a special program exploring how Abraham Lincoln has been portrayed in films and
books from the early days to the most recent blockbuster. FREE to members; non-members $6 adults, $3
children. Discover Lehigh Valley, George Wacker, [email protected],
discoverlehighvalley.com.
Re-live a key pivot point in U.S. history, with the 150th anniversary of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
burning in 1863, which turned the Confederate Army back westward, to Gettysburg. Symbolic flames,
encampments, tours and music, June 28-30, in both towns on the Lancaster-York border. See the
“Community Events” tab at PaRiverTowns.com. Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, Joel
Cliff, [email protected], discoverlancasterpa.com.
Discover relics of the Civil War era in the Pocono Mountains. Find at the Columns Museum the famous
Lincoln Flag, which cradled the president’s head the night he was assassinated, or the headstone of
Pocono Mountains born, John Summerfield Staples, who served in place of Abraham Lincoln. Pocono
Mountains Visitors Bureau, Alicia Quinn, [email protected], 800poconos.com.
The brave men of the Ringgold Light Artillery answered Lincoln’s call to arms and marched into
history as First Defenders of the Union. While battles weren’t fought on Reading, Pennsylvania’s
soil; wars were won with our soldiers, supplies and historic railroad. Follow the Civil War Trail and
learn Readings' stories. Greater Reading Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lisa Haggerty,
mailto:[email protected], gogreaterreading.com.
Visit the home of William C. Goodridge, one of the area's most active Underground Railroad
stationmasters, tour the Hanover Junction Train Station where President Lincoln stopped on his way to
deliver the Gettysburg Address or discover how Union militia prevented the Confederate advance by
burning the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Allison Freeman,
[email protected], yorkpa.org.
Virginia
Arlington is home to several unique Civil War sites and exhibits, including Arlington Historical Society’s
Civil War exhibition, Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, where General Robert E. Lee’s
family lived before the War and Freedman's Village, originally established as a wartime refuge for
emancipated and fugitive slaves. Arlington Convention & Visitors Service, Cara O’Donnell,
[email protected], stayarlington.com.
In commemoration of the 150 anniversaries of the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation
Proclamation, the Hampton History Museum explores life on the home front with Surviving War, the
follow-up to last year’s Waging War, both part of An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia.
Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau, Ryan LaFata, [email protected], visithampton.com.
Explore Civil War history by visiting the Harrisonburg Rockingham Civil War Orientation Center, taking a
driving tour and following Civil War Trail markers throughout downtown. Guests are invited to
Harrisonburg’s annual Court and Market Days on June 1, a commemoration and celebration of what life
was like in the 1800s. Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services, Katey Warren,
[email protected], harrisonburgtourism.com.
Come home to Lexington, Virginia…Lee and Jackson did. Visit the adopted peacetime hometown of
these two Civil War icons – learn of their private character and civic leadership, see their homes and the
colleges they helped make famous (Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute) and pay
respects at their gravesites. Beth Homicz, Lexington & the Rockbridge Area Tourism,
[email protected], lexingtonvirginia.com.
The Mosby Heritage Association presents Prelude to Gettysburg with an exhibit from the Virginia
Historical Society, skirmish reenactments, tours and the unveiling and dedication of a plaque in honor of
Lynde Walter Buckingham, the war correspondent who was killed during the Civil War. June 14 –16,
2013. Visit Loudoun, Jackie Saunders, [email protected], visitloudoun.org.
Children 8 to 13 can learn about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War through camp life, drills and battles
June 24-27 and July 22-25 at the annual “Civil War Children’s Camp”. Lessons include America’s rich
military heritage, teamwork and leadership skills – plus kids will get some exercise, to boot! Newport
News Tourism Development Office, Rebecca Cutchins, [email protected], newport-news.org.
Explore hallowed ground where two major Civil War battles unfolded at Manassas National Battlefield,
read graffiti soldiers left behind at Ben Lomond and discover 25 other Civil War sites that preserve our
nation’s history. Or, visit Oct. 12-14 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle at Bristoe Station.
Discover Prince William & Manassas, VA Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jennifer Buske,
[email protected], manassasbullrun.com.
Hunter’s Raid Civil War Trail is a scenic driving tour following the route of Union General David Hunter's
1864 raid through Virginia. You will explore the Shenandoah Valley retracing the route of General Hunter
and his soldiers, you’ll discover beautiful and vibrant communities filled with historic and cultural
treasures. Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, Catherine Fox, [email protected],
visitvablueridge.com.
Caring for the Wounded: Civil War Medical Service in Shenandoah County is a brochure that guides
visitors to places of interest through stories and first-person accounts. Residents shared what little they
had with the sick and wounded from both armies. Discover our caring nature in Shenandoah County.
Shenandoah County Tourism, [email protected], shenandoahtravel.org.
Isle of Wight County boasts two historically significant Civil War forts strategically located on the historic
James River. Guided walking tours by local historians of both Fort Boykin and the recently restored Fort
Huger are offered throughout the year as part of the county’s commemoration of the Civil War
Sesquicentennial. Smithfield & Isle of Wight Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lois Tokarz,
[email protected], VisitSmithfieldIsleOfWight.com.
About Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance The Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance
(MATPRA) is a cohesive unit of regional tourism partners encompassing Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The group serves travel journalists by creating a regional resource that ignores
geographical boundaries. The Alliance promotes common threads and offers saleable stories to journalists about the
mid-Atlantic destination as a whole. For more information, visit matpra.org.
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