By Laura Hunsberger
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/whqr/local-whqr-989720.mp3
Wilmington, NC –
The Community Conversations Series begins Thursday evening at 6:30 with a discussion of the events that led North Carolina to join the confederacy.
Next fall, the Cape Fear Museum will open an exhibit featuring three newly conserved Civil War artifacts. WHQR's Laura Hunsberger reports that as part of the planning, the museum will host a discussion series on North Carolina's involvement in the war.
The exhibit will commemorate the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War and will feature the uniform of Major General Whiting, who was wounded in the Battle of Fort Fisher, along with two Civil War era flags. In preparation, the museum will bring in visiting scholars for the discussions.
Historian Janet Davidson says the conversations engage the community in the history while giving museum staff a chance to learn from the knowledge the guests offer.
"Bringing folks to the region has this great sort of ripple effect: it both gives people here a chance to hear from top notch scholars who know a lot about the Civil War, but also gives the museum the chance to tap into their resources and to pick their brains while they're here."
The $57,000 conservation project was made possible by an Institute of Library Services grant and matching gifts from the local community.
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