Civil War HistoryMobile Coming to FC Saturday

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
May 17, 2012 

The Civil War 150 HistoryMobile, an 18-wheel “museum on wheels,” rolls into the City of Falls Church for on one-day this Saturday, May 19th.  The exhibit, an initiative of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, will be located at Park Avenue near the Civil War Day site at Historic Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Barn, 312 Park Avenue.  It will open at 10 a.m., and admission is free.

The expandable 78-foot tractor-trailer contains a high-tech immersive experience detailing Virginia’s incomparable place in history. The HistoryMobile draws together stories from all over Virginia and uses state-of-the-art technology and immersive exhibit spaces to present individual stories of the Civil War and Emancipation from the viewpoints of those who experienced it—young and old, enslaved and free, soldiers and civilians.

The HistoryMobile exhibit is divided into four sections: Battlefront, Homefront, Journey to Freedom, and Loss-Gain-Legacy. From the emotional letter written by a dying son to his father after sustaining a mortal wound at Spotsylvania in 1864, to an overheard conversation between husband and wife considering the great risks and rewards of fleeing to freedom, the HistoryMobile presents the stories of real people whose lives were shaped by the historic events of the 1860s and invites visitors to imagine and consider, “What Would You Do?”

The Civil War 150 HistoryMobile visits museums, schools, state and federal parks, fairs, and other sites.  Its four-year tour began in July 2011, and it has received widespread praise as it travels throughout Virginia and beyond. In 2011 there were more than 20 scheduled stops and a dedicated two-week tour of Southwest Virginia, and there are over 30 scheduled events in 2012.

The exhibits were designed through a partnership between the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania National Battlefields Park.  The HistoryMobile is also supported by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, through which visitors can obtain information on visiting Virginia Civil War sites at the exhibit, as well as by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

During this 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Virginia, the City will have a wide variety of re-enactors including an encampment of Union Soldiers and citizens representing villagers and trades common at the time.  Visitors will hear period music, see period play scenes from “The Escape”, and children will enjoy crafts and games of the Civil War era, and boxed lunches are available for purchase.

The Falls Church Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee is proud to present a wide representation of Civil War re-enactors who represent Union and Confederate soldiers and several trades and civilians who lived in that period.  This year’s plans include professional performers from the Georgetown Theatre Company presenting scenes from the 1858 adventure play, ” The Escape, or A Leap For Freedom”, by noted abolitionist and escaped slave William Wells Brown.  The show is directed by Kenny Littlejohn.  The first play published by an African American, this action-packed melodrama shows plantation life from the perspective of enslaved blacks.  Scenes will be presented at 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.  Admission is free.  Live period music will be performed and boxed lunches will be available for purchase.