April First Saturday Programs at Andersonville—April 5, 2014

Date: March 3, 2014
Contact: Eric Leonard, 229 924-0343, ext. 201
Contact: Stephanie Steinhorst, 229 924-0343, ext. 203

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – Nearly a month after the first prisoners arrived, the north wall of the stockade was finally completed, providing Confederate officers a sense of security as the number of prisoners continued to increase. Over 7,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned here by April first; at the end of the month the prison would be near its designed capacity of 10,000. Join park staff and volunteers for special programs on the First Saturday of April, (Saturday, April 5, 2014) to learn more about the Andersonville Prison. There is no admission fee and all programs are open to the public.

10:00 a.m. — Special Program—The Road To Andersonville: Arrival
Join a park ranger on a guided walk following in the footsteps of the 45,000 United States soldiers who entered into Andersonville prison from 1864-1865. The tour begins at the National Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville National Historic Site and lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. The tour starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. Reservations are required for this program and may be obtained online at https://go.nps.gov/roadtoandersonville

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. — Ranger program: "Arrival at Rock Island"
In the museum theater, Chief of Interpretation and Education Eric Leonard will discuss the Federal Military Prison at Rock Island, Illinois and the experiences of Confederate Prisoners of War arriving there in December 1863. 

2:30 p.m. — The Burying Ground: A Walk through the Andersonville National Cemetery
Join a park ranger on a walk through the Andersonville National Cemetery and learn more about the process of burying the dead at the Andersonville Prison. Meet at the Georgia Monument.

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

First Saturdays 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

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