"Bells across the Land" and "Bell and History Day" Events

Date: March 17, 2015
Contact: Barbara Justice, 301-662-3515

Monocacy National Battlefield will participate in "Bells across the Land: A Nation Remembers Appomattox" on Thursday, April 9, 2015 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The National Park Service and its partners invite communities across the nation to join in this commemoration.

At Monocacy NB,join a park ranger at 3:00 p.m. for a short talk at the visitor center about the historic meeting where Lee surrendered his army to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. At 3:15 p.m. Monocacy NB will ring an historic Baltimore & Ohio train bell for four minutes (each minute symbolic of a year of war) joining bells that will reverberate in Frederick and across the country to commemorate Lee's surrender.

On Saturday, April 11, 2015 Monocacy NB will join with Historic Consortium museum sites to share Frederick, Maryland's unique contributions to local and national history. At 10:00 a.m. we will ring the train bell to celebrate Frederick County's Bell & History Day. Special programs and artifacts related to the local and national reaction to the Lincoln assassination will be unveiled in the new temporary exhibit "1865: A Year of Triumph, Tragedy and Trials."

A new program focusing on the Lincoln funeral train, "Lincoln's Final Journey Home," will be presented on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the historic Thomas House. Parking will be located at 4460 Baker Valley Road. The event is free, but due to limited seating, reservations are required. Please call 301-662-3515 for reservations. For additional information please call 301-662-3515.