150th Anniversary First Saturday Programs—February 1, 2014

Date: January 23, 2014
Contact: Eric Leonard , 229 924-0343, ext. 201

Commemorating the construction of the prison

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – In the opening weeks of 1864, the future site of the Andersonville Prison was abuzz with activity as Confederate officials and military officers supervised the construction of a new facility to replace the military prisons in Richmond, Virginia. In this moment, Confederate officials viewed the new prison as a solution to the problems besetting the facilities in Richmond; citizens of southwest Georgia were far more skeptical of the creation of the prison in their backyard. Join park staff and volunteers for special programs on the First Saturday of February to explore the creation of the Andersonville Prison.

11:00 a.m. — Prison Site Walk
Join longtime volunteer Jimmy Culpepper at the Wisconsin Monument to explore the history of the prison site.

1:00 p.m. —Prisoners in Our City: Creating & Maintaining a Prison System in Richmond, VA.
In the museum theater, Park Guide Chris Barr will explore the challenges faced by the Confederate military and civilian populations as they struggled to create a prison system & meet the needs of the captives confined there.

2:30 p.m. — Flag Raising at the Star Fort
Join Chief of Interpretation and Education Eric Leonard and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Alexander H. Stephens Camp #78 at the Star Fort to consider the challenges that Confederate officials faced at Andersonville and to raise the Second National Confederate Flag over the Camp Sumter Military Prison.

All programs are subject to change due to weather and other concerns.

The First Saturday programs are one of a variety of programs over the two-year period of the 150th anniversary of the prison in 2014 & 2015 that will explore the prison site and the prison experience at Andersonville while also addressing the larger story at other military prisons, in the north and south. Every two months during the anniversary period, the park will focus on a single word theme that represents the events, conditions, or emotions of prisoners during the war. To expand the prisoner story, the park will also feature other Civil War prisons and draw on their stories to present a fuller picture of the captivity experience.

For more information on anniversary programs, themes and other featured prisons, please visit the park website at: https://go.nps.gov/cwprisons

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 Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. ­Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The National Prisoner of War Museum is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, or visit at www.nps.gov/ande/ Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/andeNHS

NPS

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov Visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.