The Southern Museum: more than just the Civil War and trains
Published: Apr 26, 2009
There's more to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History than antebellum debutantes like Scarlet O'Hara, soldiers in blue and gray, and trains.
Of course, the museum, housed in a former cotton mill, houses a collection of Civil War armaments and uniforms and recreations of battles in which Georgians played a role, such as the Battle of Altoona Pass. But there's more in the 50,000-square-foot museum!
Southern Museum divides seamlessly into five exhibitions and displays. Around each corner is some new aspect of history that relates to what you’ve just seen, told in new ways.
Visitors begin the journey into the major role railroads have played throughout history beginning with the Civil War. Here you will find artifacts from the war, weaponry, as well as common, everyday items that once belonged to the women and children who were left at home.
As the war ended, new industries formed in the South, including building locomotives, as seen in the “Glover Machine Works: Casting a New South” exhibit. The display walks visitors through a locomotive assembly line (see real locomotive parts made of carved wood). Two of Glover’s locomotives are on display here.
The Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum resembles an old railroad depot and is so close to the railroad that you can hear working trains as they pass nearby.
And speaking of locomotives, interactive displays allow both adults and children to become a train conductor through a simulation screen (you can slow it down and speed it up!), explore a depot and see the actual French Gratitude Boxcar donated to Georgia after World War II.
From there, head over to the theater to watch a well-made 20-minute movie on the story of the Great Locomotive Chase, which began 100 yards from the museum and ended with a Southern conductor stopping would-be Union raiders from successfully stealing his locomotive, the General, and destroying rail supply lines. The exhibit follows the story of what occurred during the chase and concludes with a visit to the General.
In the special exhibitions area, “Historic Hobbies & William Wardrop Creations: Man’s Imagination and Machines” is on display until July 5, 2009.
In conjunction with other museum partnerships, Southern Museum, which relies mainly on donations and admissions, constantly changes out its artifacts and adds new displays to stay current. They offer plenty of of programs, workshops, camps and events year round (take the Polar Express at Christmas-time).
- by Christine Foster, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
(Click to leave a message)
