Historic Bethlehem Partnership Sponsors Civil War Encampment, 4/16-17

Historic Bethlehem Partnership will sponsor a Civil War living history encampment on April 16-17, 2011 in the Colonial Industrial Quarter. At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, a cannon blast will announce the opening of the event. Join the citizens of Bethlehem, as re-enactors portraying the 153rd PA Infantry parade down Main Street led by Bethlehem's Mounted Police. The troops will set up a recruiting table by the historic 1750-1761 Smithy at 425 Main Street. During the course of the weekend, the new war recruits will drill and slowly hone their new skills. Sunday at 3:30 they will form up for their final drill and review by President Lincoln. The ladies of Bethlehem will present them with their regimental flag after which they will march toward the train station, where in 1861 they would have boarded a train to take them to Camp Curtain in Harrisburg, PA.

Civilians will be on hand in the Luckenbach Mill, Spring House and the 1742 Waterworks with displays of original fashions, period past times, a family parlor and lots more. There will be a period school and a children's activities area. Special hands on activities at various spots around the site are being planned along with a scavenger hunt. Local authors Patricia McAndrew, Jeff Stocker and Michael Cavanaugh will discuss their books. Music will be provided by Ken Purcell and Plum Run. In addition, there will be a period fashion show, artillery demos and a Civil War medical demonstration. The Union and Confederate camps are open from 10:00 to 5:00 on Saturday and from 10:00 to 4:00 on Sunday. Refreshments and authentic crafts are available.

The living history weekend is one of the first of an 18 month commemoration of the American
Civil War, following the official kick-off Thursday, April 14th of Men of Valour, a concert of Civil War music, presented by the Lehigh University Wind Ensemble. All patrons of the Civil War Living History Encampment will be able to visit the Civil War Exhibits at Historic Bethlehem Partnership Museums. Museum exhibits are described below:

Kill or Cure: The Unintended Consequences of Medicine in the 1800s
1810 Goundie House
501 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA
April 2011 - January 2012
Imagine being prescribed mercury for a toothache. The development of medicine in the 19th century included practices and substances now viewed as detrimental to humans. Drawing on collections from the Moravian Apothecary, view how the use of these toxic cures helped advance the study of modern medicine.

Weighted Souls: Bethlehem and Salem Moravians in the Civil War
Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
66 W. Church Street, Bethlehem, PA
April 2011 - April 2012
No one understood the complexities of brothers fighting brothers in the American Civil War more than the Moravians. With communities in Bethlehem, PA and Salem, NC, geography pitted family members and friends against one another. Bound by their faith, Moravians were faced with choosing between religion and country. Explore the views and interactions between northern and southern Moravians and the lasting impact of the choices they made.

Design in Divided America
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
427 N. New Street, Bethlehem, PA
April 2011-April 2012
Everyday life did not stop during the Civil War. Wider availability of the sewing machine and limited resources forced everyday people to become seamstresses and craftsmen. Bolstered by foreign influences, the decorative arts of the 1860s illustrated an eclectic co-mingling of styles, cultures and economies. See how design evolved and influenced American's lives during this tumultuous time in history.

Tickets for the Civil War Encampment, may be purchased in advance at the visitor's center, or at www.historicbethlehem.org or at the entrance to the encampment. Children under 6 are free; 7-12 are $3.00 and $5.00 for adults.

Historic Bethlehem is a not-for-profit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. Historic Bethlehem, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation's earliest settlers, America's first municipal water pumping system, and one of the world's greatest industrial companies. For more information, please call the Visitor Center at 610-691-6055 or visit www.historicbethlehem.org.

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