The Pennsylvania Civil War Road Show is a traveling exhibition experience—based in an expandable 53-foot tractor-trailer—for Pennsylvanians and visitors to Pennsylvania of all ages. From 2011 to 2015, it will travel throughout the state (making stops in all 67 counties), bringing interactive exhibits and activities in the trailer and, at each host location, featuring unique programs and performances under a Civil War-era tent.
No corner of the state was untouched by the Civil War. Through images, sound, words, objects and interactive multimedia, the Road Show will convey stories of the many different ways Pennsylvania’s men, women, children and communities experienced the Civil War, both on the battlefield and the home front.
At the Road Show, visitors will be able to:
- See and hear how Pennsylvanians impacted the Civil War and how it transformed their lives.
- Learn about Pennsylvania’s role in the War—statewide—through a large, interactive map.
- View animated stories that reveal Pennsylvanians’ experiences through dynamic images and sound.
- Peer through sets of lenses to see a show of stereoscopic photographs—the original 3-D experience—taken during the Civil War era.
- Listen with personal audio devices to actors reading from letters, diaries and newspapers, while paging through hands-on flipbooks.
- Scroll through hands-on, illustrated “story strips” that tell engaging stories in a child-friendly style.
- See objects and clothing that bring stories to life.
- Interact with specific stories through physical, hands-on activities.
- See a display of significant Civil War-era, locally owned material contributed by the respective communities’ historical institutions.
The Road Show also aims to reassemble Pennsylvania’s Civil War history, one story at a time. Through a “Share Your Story” recording booth, individuals will be invited to share their own Civil War-era family photographs, artifacts and other material and stories—digitally and/or orally, to be uploaded into a public, online repository that will grow as the Road Show travels.
View the 2011 Road Show Schedule