Baltimore Honors 150th Anniversary of the First Bloodshed of the Civil War

BALTIMORE, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This month Baltimore will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, as it was in Baltimore that the first blood was shed. The city has pulled together a robust calendar of special events and exhibitions as well as a new, three-day pass for visitors to explore the places and stories of Baltimore's Civil War.

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Civil War Baltimore offers a look at a large American city (at the time, it was the third largest) in a state that did not secede but was overseen and at times administered by the U.S. Army. After a violent skirmish that drew the first blood in the conflict, Federal troops moved in. For the next four years, Baltimoreans who supported the South lived under the watchful eyes of a military commander and his provost marshal. The city cared for tens of thousands wounded from both sides while serving as a major transportation hub and supply depot for the Union army. To visit Baltimore is to see how this story unfolded.

On the weekend of April 15-17, 2011, Baltimore will commemorate the Pratt Street Riot, which led to the first bloodshed of the Civil War. The weekend will include a Grand Procession on Pratt Street, the rededication of President Street Station as a historic Baltimore building, living history presentations throughout the city, a symposium hosted by the National Park Service, and a Civil War living history encampment and candlelight tours at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

Visit Baltimore has created a Baltimore Civil War Experience Pass, which provides a 25 percent savings on regular admission to four historical venues related to Baltimore's participation in the Civil War: B&O Railroad Museum, Sports Legends Museum at Historic Camden Station, Maryland Historical Society and Mount Clare House Museum. The pass is valid for three consecutive days and provides admission for one person to each the four participating museums.

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

Riots, Railroads and the Coming of Mr. Lincoln
Open Through December 2011
The Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, housed in the former Camden Station, marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's first visit to the station while also exploring Civil War events and American railroading.

The War Came By Train
Opens April 15, 2011
The B&O Railroad Museum will exhibit the largest assemblage of Civil War railroad equipment in the world, featuring locomotives and rail cars as well as military and personal artifacts (some never before seen on public display). A narrated, round-trip train ride will be available to the original site of Camp Carroll, the largest Union encampment in Baltimore.

Divided Voices, Maryland in the Civil War
Opens April 16, 2011
The entrance to the Maryland Historical Society's 150th Anniversary Civil War exhibit will take visitors back in time. This "time tunnel" will gently lead visitors back to 1861 with a combination of 3-D videos, interactive exhibits designed for children and adults, and period costumed story-teller guides. Throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays the Maryland Historical Society Players will perform short vignettes of major events of the Civil War in Maryland.  

Personal Accounts of the Civil War Experience
Opens April 29, 2011
Join the Mount Clare Museum House and experience Camp Carroll, a Civil War camp in what is now known as Carroll Park. A special exhibition will feature Civil War memorabilia and artifacts.

For the latest information, visit www.CivilWarBaltimore.com.

To purchase the Baltimore Civil War Experience Pass, visit http://tickets.baltimore.org.

Visit Baltimore – the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore that generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. For more information, visit www.baltimore.org.

SOURCE Visit Baltimore