Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Civil War

My sister is in visiting from Denver, so yesterday we took a ride out to Lake County and went to The Lake County Discovery Museum.  http://www.lcfpd.org/discovery_museum/

One of the things I like about this museum is that they have some very interesting exhibits.  Right now they have one on The Civil War.  I am fascinated by The Civil War.  I have ancestors who fought on both sides (again with that recurring north/south theme of my life...)  and I enjoy visiting battlefields such at Gettysburg and Ft. Donelson.  My favorite book of all time is "Gone With the Wind."  If you have never read it, I urge you to do so.  It is delicious  - it's a love story, a fight for survival and American history centered around the war and is all rolled up into one epic book.  The movie is also really good with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh.  Clark Gable as Rhett will forever be the man of my dreams - That debounair, devil may care, dashing and mysterious, charming and handsome, elegant man of the south .  Ok, enough about Clark Gable.  "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!"  Don't even get me started - just go read the book.

There was a brief history...

A genuine cast taken of President Lincoln's face and his hand....  I was amazed at how large his hands were.


A drummers drum.  It was just beautiful actually and very well preserved.

The telegraph and Morse Code played an important part in the Civil War.  The dots and dashes of Morse Code are a mystery to me.  Imagine using that instead of e-mail today?



This was my favorite piece - it was a pipe that belonged to a Rebel spy.

A Commodore's Naval Uniform.....


A Union Soldier's uniform....
Several different kinds of firearms....


A Gatlin gun....


Some period rooms......


Hot Air Balloons were used during the Civil War to gain a unique perspective on the battle fields.  Commanders would go up in the balloons to survey the action taking place far below.  Here's my mom standing in a replica of one of the hot air balloons.

And here's me, being a nut and pretending I am dangling from the rope...




All in all, it was an interesting exhibit and a nice way to spend a cold and rainy morning.  If you've ever visited a Civil War battlefield and enjoyed it, please let me know where you went.  In the meantime, excuse me while I go pop "Gone With the Wind" into my DVD player. 

4 comments:

  1. Another interesting post, Kim. I'd like to seen an exhibit such as this and I plan to visit Gettysburg one day. My 2nd great grandfather on my daddy's side was captured there on July 2, 1863 and spent close to two years as a POW. While many didn't survive, he went on to live another forty-six years and father six more children (he already had six, including my great grandfather.

    Now on my mother's side, my 2nd great grandfather was a Union soldier who stayed in Georgia at the end of the war, married a local woman, fathered two children, who he deserted after just a few years.

    One day I plan to write a post about the town my daddy was born in, it is fascinating and it's creation is tied to the Civil War.

    Hugs

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  2. Hi Kim..
    popped over from Shelle's tiki hut to bid you a warm welcome to Bloggerland!
    Have read through your previous posts, and found your topics interesting as well as quite informative..
    I see you have relatives visiting from Denver..
    that's where I live!
    and yes.. I've become your newest follower!!
    warmest sandy hugs..
    laughing smiles too..
    Loui♥

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've finally made it through your blog... LOVE IT!!! I'll definitely be back for more! Clicking the "follow" button now! :D

    This exhibit looks wonderful! I love history museums and exhibits... I could spend hours and hours in them, particularly when there's fun "hands-on" stuff like that balloon!

    Civil Wars make me sad, more so than others, because of the thought of one-time families and friends becoming enemies and facing each other on the battlefield... I much prefer Revolutions! VIVE L'INDEPENDANCE!!! lol! :p

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  4. Loui & Cris: thank you so much for stopping by and giving me such a warm welcome. Your wonderful comments have really made my day!

    ReplyDelete

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