Pennsylvania Civil War Road Show to Stop at State Museum

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Museum of Pennsylvania will welcome the Civil War Road Show to Harrisburg Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22. This popular attraction has been traveling across the state and features interactive exhibits and special programming marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Housed in a 53-foot expandable trailer, the Road Show exhibit tells the compelling personal stories of the many different ways Pennsylvanians experienced the American Civil War—on both the home front and the battlefield. Interactive features include stereoscopic photographs, original compositions of Civil War-era music and sound effects, hands-on objects, and animated stories.

Visitors will be invited to take a self-portrait at the Road Show in the style of a Civil War-era photograph that can be uploaded and incorporated into a customizable digital scrapbook.

The Road Show is also unearthing Civil War stories and artifacts through a "Share Your Story" recording booth. Visitors to the Road Show are invited to share their own Civil War-era photographs, artifacts and stories through "Share Your Story."

The Road Show will be located on North Street, adjacent to The State Museum. Hours of operation are: Thursday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, July 20, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, July 21, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, July 22, noon to 5 p.m.

Admission to the Road Show is free and visitors to the Road Show will also receive free admission to The State Museum. The State Museum will be open until 7 p.m. on Friday, July 20 to accommodate Road Show visitors and participants of Harrisburg's monthly "3rd in the Burg" arts and entertainment celebration.

Pennsylvania Civil War 150 is the state's official program commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, being observed from 2011 to 2015.  The PA Civil War 150 Committee, convened by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation (PHF), the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, is a statewide alliance of history, heritage, arts and cultural organizations from throughout the state.  PA Civil War 150's mission is to leverage the considerable strengths of these institutions and bring quality programming to the state's commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. PA Civil War 150 includes a wide array of statewide initiatives, and facilitates numerous activities and events at the regional and local levels.

Find more information online at www.PACivilWar150.com.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History®. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania's fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary era, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the Commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story.

For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

Media contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission