Philadelphia Commemorates Battle of Gettysburg

PHILADELPHIA, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer marks the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and Philadelphia—a major arsenal, shipbuilding and hospital center during the Civil War and home to Gettysburg general George G. Meade—is marking the anniversary with events and exhibitions:

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130625/PH37588 )

Exhibitions:

• Mercer Museum – The more than 300 artifacts and interactive stations that form the exhibit Turning Points: Civil War, 1863-1864 examine the military, social and political issues that confronted local citizens as the war reached its climax. Visitors spin a draft lottery wheel, listen to the voices of local citizens and soldiers in eight audio stations, explore a camp tent and cast a vote in the 1864 Lincoln-McClellan election. Through August 25, 2014. mercermuseum.org
• Chester County Historical Society – On the Edge of Battle: Chester County and the Civil War delves into the county's deep division over the war and the choices citizens made regarding the military effort. Visitors can digest these weighty questions while reviewing newspapers and letters from the front; photographs; interactive kids' stations; and artifacts from Galusha Pennypacker (the youngest American brevet major general). Through September 28, 2014. chestercohistorical.org
• Rosenbach Museum & Library – Letters and other dispatches give voice to Voices of 1863: Witnesses to the Civil War, an exhibition that pierces the events of 1863 with Lincoln's handwritten notes and speeches about race and slavery and U.S. Grant's letters to his family. Through January 5, 2014. In addition, the Sleuths & Spies tour includes an album belonging to a female Civil War spy. July 5, 2013. rosenbach.org
• The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia – Established as a pro-Lincoln Republican club in 1862, this private club opens its heritage center to the public twice a week. Philadelphia 1863: Turning the Tide shows off the podium that Lincoln stood behind when he gave the Gettysburg Address and the desk and chair General Meade used on the eve of the battle. Through March 1, 2014. ulheritagecenter.org
• Laurel Hill Cemetery – As the final resting place for General Meade, along with 40 other Civil War generals, nurses and surgeons, this historic cemetery hosts A House Divided: The Citizens, the Celebrated and the Seditious of Civil War Philadelphia. The exhibit includes an installation that spotlights the "Elite Eleven," a group of military figures and citizens whose contributions to the effort epitomize the era's people. Through May 2014. thelaurelhillcemetery.org
• National Constitution Center – One of the only surviving signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation hangs in the center for two months. In addition, this fall the Constitution Center is boosting its Civil War treatment, which now contains interactive exhibits on the Constitutional amendments governing slavery and its abolition, to include content that focuses on the Battle of Gettysburg and other events of 1863. July 25-September 22, 2014. constitutioncenter.org

For the full press release, go to http://vstphl.ly/11Nbwfz.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation