Civil War exhibits in Hampton Roads

By Mark St. John Erickson, merickson@dailypress.com | 247-4783
June 11, 2011

Hampton Roads museums offer numerous exhibits exploring the region's historic
role in the Civil War.

Here are some thumbnail descriptions of some of the attractions you can expect
to see during the 150th anniversary of the war:

Casemate Museum. The story of America's largest and most powerful stone fort
includes extensive permanent displays of artifacts and images showcasing its
pivotal role in the Civil War. Among the subjects explored are its links to
such figures as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis as well as
the stories of the contraband slaves and the North's amphibious expeditions to
the Southern Coast. 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. Free. 20 Bernard Road, Fort
Monroe, Hampton. 788-3391. monroe.army.mil/monroe/sites/installation/museum

Hampton History Museum. The official museum of America's oldest continuous
English-speaking settlement features numerous artifacts and images exploring
the city's prominent role in the early stages of the Civil War, including
permanent displays on the burning of Hampton and the contraband slaves.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. $5 adults, $4 children
4-12. 120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton. 727-1610. hampton.va.us/history_museum

Hampton Roads Naval Museum. This official Navy museum, which explores the
landmark naval history of Hampton Roads from the Revolution through Gulf
wars, features extensive treatment of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads,
which pitted the CSS Virginia and USS Monitor against each other in the
historic first clash between ironclad warships. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. Located on the second floor
of Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, 1 Waterside Drive, Norfolk.
322-2987. hrnm.navy.mil

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. Ship models, uniforms, military
artifacts and exhibits portray life in 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century
Portsmouth and America's oldest and largest naval shipyard, where the
pioneering Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was constructed and based
during the Civil War. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
$3 adults, $1 children 2-17 (includes admission to Lightship Portsmouth
Museum). 2 High St., Portsmouth. 393-8591. portsnavalmuseums.com

The Mariners' Museum. This world-class collection of maritime artifacts,
ship models, decorative arts and maritime paintings includes the USS
Monitor Center, which houses the historic gun turret and other artifacts
from the famous Civil War ironclad USS Monitor as well as extensive permanent
exhibits about the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday
and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $12 adults, $7 children 6-12. 100 Museum Drive, Newport
News. 596-2222. marinersmuseum.org

Virginia War Museum. American military history unfolds through one of the
nation's largest collections of military artifacts, uniforms, weapons and
documents, including displays on the Civil War. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday,
1-5 p.m. Sunday. $6 adults, $4 children 7-18. 9285 Warwick Blvd., Newport News.
247-8523. warmuseum.org

The Civil War at Endview. The 18th-century house, which served as a Confederate
hospital during the 1862 Siege of the Peninsula, provides the backdrop for
living history interpretations of life during the Civil War. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Monday and Thursday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $6 adults, $4
children 7-18. 362 Yorktown Road, Newport News. 887-1862. endview.org

Lee Hall Mansion. This circa 1850 Italianate mansion served as the
headquarters of Confederate commander John Bankhead Magruder during
1862 Siege of the Peninsula. In addition to seven period rooms, including
Magruder's office, it also features an extensive Civil War exhibit.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday and Thursday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. $6 adults,
$4 children 7-18. 163 Yorktown Road, Newport News. 888-3371. leehall.org

Chrysler Museum of Art. Home to one of America's largest and most
comprehensive collections of Civil War photographs, the Chrysler is
presenting "The Civil War: Visual Perspectives, Then and Now" through
July 31. The exhibit features photographs, paintings and prints
exploring different aspects of the war, ranging from battlefield
images by Mathew Brady, Timothy O'Sullivan and Alexander Gardner
to paintings by Benjamin Richardson documenting the battle between
the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday,
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. 245 W.
Olney Road, Norfolk. 664-6200. chrysler.org

Numerous museums in nearby Richmond also are marking the 150th anniversary
of the Civil War with special exhibits. Here's a select list of the current
attractions:

Virginia Historical Society. "An American Turning Point: The Civil War in
Virginia" uses artifacts, images and video to explore Virginia's historic
role in the Civil War through the personal stories of individuals who
lived through it. It also encourages visitors to ask what was lost,
what was gained, what was decided, what was left uncertain and how an
event that occurred 150 years ago can still influence our country and
our lives so profoundly today. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m.
Sunday. Free. 428 North Boulevard, Richmond.
804-358-4901 vahistorical.org

Museum of the Confederacy. Housed adjacent to the Confederate White House,
the Museum of the Confederacy features such revealing permanent exhibits as
"The Confederate Years: The Southern Military in the Civil War, which charts
the course of its army and navy from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, and a new
changing exhibit called "The War Comes Home," which explores how the conflict
affected the lives of the everyday people. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Sunday. $12
adults, $7 children 7-13 (includes admission to the museum and the Confederate
White House). 804-649-1861. moc.org

Library of Virginia. Using letters, journals, newspapers, official documents
and correspondence and maps and broadsides drawn largely from the library's
incomparable collections, a new exhibit called "Union or Secession: Virginians
Decide" explores the complex and conflicting geographic, cultural, economic
and political factors that made Virginia's vote on secession far from certain.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Free. 800 East Broad St., Richmond.
804-692-3500. lva.virginia.gov