I had the opportunity to visit the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg Pennsylvania yesterday - it's located in Reservoir Park, just off of Route 83. I was impressed by the size of the place - I understand that the collection and museum came largely from Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed's efforts during the 1990's.
We toured the museum's displays, which were decent but a bit hard to follow. The layout was largely a timeline from the end of antebellum times to the westward expansion of the 1880's. The museum's marketing pieces claim that it's the only museum dedicated to the entire Civil War in the country. Quote:
"The only museum in The United States that portrays the entire story of the American Civil War. Equally balanced presentations are humanistic in nature without bias to Union or Confederate causes."
Here's a couple of interior photos - flash was not allowed (which I thought a bit funny, considering that we had just been to the National Gallery in Washington DC, where it was allowed with priceless paintings everywhere you look...).
It took about 2 hours to work through the whole museum, which is an acceptable time. Admission was $9.00 for adults and $7.00 for kids over 5 years old. Overall I thought the experience was worth it - once. I would recommend the new visitor's center at Gettysburg National Battlefield if you're looking for something very similar. In fact, I was struck by the similarities in the presentation and look/feel of the two museums.
As we were leaving town I thought it would be neat to grab a photo of our state's capital dome:
We also drove by Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant on the way home to East Petersburg - yep, it was still there.
Another day in Southeastern Pennsylvania...
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