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Contact: Eric Leonard, 229 924-0343, ext. 201
The park's Friends Group and Former Prisoners of War partnered with the National Park Service to develop the "Victory From Within" traveling exhibit. ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – The Friends of Andersonville and American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW) received the 2014 National Park Service Director's Partnership Award for their efforts to complete an interactive traveling exhibit about the Prisoner of War (POW) experience. A multi-year fundraising effort and long-standing collaboration with the staff of Andersonville National Historic Site was acknowledged with this award, which highlights the national significance of the partnership. Working together, the two organizations raised $221,000 to complete the traveling exhibit. Former prisoners of war from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam donated artifacts, shared their personal stories, and contributed to a companion teacher's curriculum. The exhibit, entitled Victory From Within: The American Prisoner of War Experience, was created to give more citizens the opportunity to understand the American POW story.The 1,200 square foot exhibit explores the POW experience and displays artifacts and audio-visual interviews from actual prisoners of war. The exhibit will travel to universities, museums, and other institutions nation-wide, ensuring the POW legacy is preserved. The Friends of Andersonville was established in 1988 to provide support to Andersonville National Historic Site.This dedicated group works closely with park staff to foster public understanding of the role this military prison camp played in our nation's history. AXPOW is a service organization that aims to assist the surviving U.S. military prisoner of war. Based in Arlington, Texas, AXPOW was founded in 1942. Both organizations also played a critical role twenty years ago in fundraising and development of the National Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville. Jim Covington, Chairman of the Friends of Andersonville board remarked, "The Friends are very humbled by this award;it has always been our honor to support the National Historic Site at Andersonville and to serve with other fine organizations, such as the American Ex-Prisoners of War in the furtherance of this mission." "A long-time goal of the park and its partners is to make these compelling stories of sacrifice more accessible to audiences across the country," remarked acting superintendent Eric Leonard, "and thanks to the support of former POWs, this goal has been achieved." 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/ Visitus on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/andeNHS 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. About the Friends of Andersonville. The Friends of Andersonville are a 501[c][3] organization fostering public understanding of the role Andersonville National Historic Site plays in our Nation's History. Learn more at www.friendsofandersonville.org |
Last updated: April 14, 2015