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NPS/ANDE
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Contact: Susan Sernaker, 229 518-2846
NR23-03Andersonville NHS Commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the National Prison of War Museum
ANDERSONVILLE, Ga.—On Saturday, April 22, 2023 Andersonville National Historic Site will host a ceremony honoring Prisoners of War and commemorating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the National POW Museum. Programming for the day will begin at 1:00 pm in the museum’s theater with a presentation about the 50th Anniversary of Operation Homecoming. Following the talk, please join us outside at 2:00 pm as we reflect on National POW Remembrance Day and commemorate the opening of the museum with speeches by former Prisoners of War Bill Arcuri and Sally Morgan, former superintendent Fred Boyles, US Congressman Sanford Bishop, and other notables. Please call 229 924-0343 for more information.
The idea of a museum to commemorate the sacrifices of all POWs in American history took root many years ago. After the Civil War, the National Cemetery and Prison Park were operated by the US Army until the Centennial anniversary of the Civil War. With an increase in visitation, a group of local citizens rallied for the National Park Service to take over operations. In 1970 the site became Andersonville National Historic Site, a memorial to all prisoners of war throughout our nation’s history. In the summer of 1996, construction began on the almost two-year project to complete the National Prisoner of War Museum. The museum was designed to last throughout time as a living monument to American POWs. The building is reminiscent of prisons and the thematic elements of the life of a POW: towers, gates, confinement, brick, light, water are evident throughout the building. As the visitors move through the museum, they pass into rooms that focus on the experiences of POWs: Capture, Living Conditions, News and Communications, Those Who Wait, Privation, Morale, and Escape and Freedom.
ABOUT ANDERSONVILLE NHS Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery, and the site of the historic Camp Sumter Civil War prison. Andersonville National Historic Site is the only unit of the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Admission to the park is free. For more information about the park call 229 924-0343, visit our website, or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
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Last updated: April 8, 2023