Pamplin Historical Park Commemorates Anniversary of End of Civil War with Annual Symposium

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Pamplin Historical Park and park founder and owner Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr., will host a weekend symposium, Oct. 16-18, featuring presentations by noted historians about the pivotal events of the war's end in 1865.

The event will take place at Pamplin Historical Park, which is located on the site of the battle where Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces broke through Gen. Robert E. Lee's defensive line on April 2, 1865, ending the nine-month Richmond-Petersburg campaign. This breakthrough triggered the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond and the westward retreat that would lead to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

In addition to a speaker symposium, guests will have the opportunity to explore the park's Richmond-Petersburg campaign history first-hand on a full-day bus tour with park historian A. Wilson Greene, on Friday, Oct. 16. The tour will highlight events of the First and Second Battles of Deep Bottom and action north of the James River.

Symposium presentations include the following:

• "Providence and the End of the Civil War," by George C. Rable, University of Alabama
• "The Ladies of Petersburg: Creating an Enduring Confederate Memorial," by Caroline Janney, Purdue University
• "The Confederate Veteran in History, Film, and Memory," by Frank Wetta, Kean University
• "Will This Cruel War Never Be Over: Southerners in the Last Months of the War, January - May 1865," by John Coski, Museum of the Confederacy
• "From Bentonville to Bennett Place," by Mark Bradley, Center for Military History
• "The Fourth of July 1865: Redefining America," by Paul Quigley, Virginia Tech University
• "The Final Offensive at Petersburg," by A. Wilson Greene, Pamplin Historical Park

"This symposium speaks to my primary purpose for establishing Pamplin Historical Park more than 20 years ago," said Pamplin. "I chose to preserve this piece of history to help educate Americans about the importance of the battles fought here, on our country's soil, and maintain the memory of the sacrifice our soldiers made to protect our country's core beliefs."

Pamplin Historical Park is located at 6125 Boydton Plank Road in Petersburg, Va. Reservations are required for this event and symposium tickets are $259 for the general public and $234 for park members. The ticket price includes lectures, a Friday night reception, two continental breakfasts, two lunches, and a Saturday night banquet. The optional Speakers Dinner is free for members and $36 for non-members, and the Deep Bottom Campaigns bus tour is $75 for all participants. For reservations or more information on the tour, Speakers Dinner and symposium, call (804) 861-2408 or visit http://www.pamplinpark.org/events.html.

About Pamplin Historical Park

One of "Virginia's Best Places to Visit," according to the Travel Channel, and designated as a National Historic Landmark, Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier is a 424-acre Civil War campus located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, offering a combination of high-tech museums and hands-on experiences. The park has four world-class museums and four antebellum homes. It is the site of the Petersburg Breakthrough battle of April 2, 1865, and hosts America's premier Civil War participatory experience, Civil War Adventure Camp. For more information, please call 804-861-2408 or visit www.pamplinpark.org.

About Robert B. Pamplin Jr.

Robert B. Pamplin Jr. has earned eight degrees - including two doctorates - in business, economics, accounting, education and theology. He has been honored nationally as a businessman, philanthropist, ordained minister, educator, historical preservationist and author of 16 books and comic books, including two book-of-the-month club selections. Pamplin's business interests include media (the Portland Tribune and 25 community newspapers), textiles, construction and agriculture. He has been awarded many honorary degrees and featured in national magazines, in newspapers and on television. He has served on presidential and state commissions, and he has been chairman of the board of trustees of three colleges. Pamplin is widely recognized as America's leading historical preservationist and foremost diversified entrepreneur. For more information, visit www.pamplin.org. For more information about Pamplin's preservation efforts, visit www.pamplincollection.org.

SOURCE: BUSINESS WIRE