The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History is offering free and reduced admission as part of the Week of the Young Child – a week aimed at focusing public attention on the needs of all young children and their families.

From April 23-27, families with a child eight years old or younger will receive free admission for their first child. Additional children eight years old or younger in the same family will receive half price admission.

Prices are for individual admissions only and are not valid for groups.

In addition to the admission deal, special activities for children are planned at 10 a.m. each day. Themes for the fun stories, games and crafts scheduled for the week are:

• April 23: I (heart) Art
• April 24: All Aboard the Reading Train!
• April 25: Music Mania
• April 26: Mommy & Me – “Old-Time Fun”
• April 27: Safety Rules!

The Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), was established in 1971. The week recognizes that the early childhood years (from birth through eight years old) are crucial in laying a solid foundation for success in school and later life.

For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Museum-Early-Childhood-Education/122516641672.

About The Southern Museum
A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about the Great Locomotive Chase, including the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war. The Jolley Education Center features a variety of hands-on exhibits to inspire a love of learning in children. During the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Southern Museum will be hosting numerous events that will explore topics relevant to this tumultuous time in history. Visit the Museum’s calendar of events at southernmuseum.org for a list of activities and events.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children three and under.

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Linda Waggoner Darnall, center, on behalf of the Waggoner family of Ohio, descendants of Sgt. John M. Scott, donated to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History the medal Scott was posthumously awarded for his participation in the April 12, 1862, event that has come to be known as the Great Locomotive Chase.

Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews, left, and Kennesaw Museum Foundation President Paul Chastain, right, accepted the donation on April 12, 2012, as part of the Museum’s sesquicentennial celebration of the Great Locomotive Chase.

Sgt. Scott was one of Andrews’ Raiders, a group of Union spies who stole the locomotive General and fled toward Chattanooga, tearing up track and destroying bridges in an attempt to cut off Confederate supply lines. The medal presentation was part of a series of events and ceremonies in Kennesaw marking the 150^th anniversary of the Great Locomotive Chase.

The medal, which was previously on loan, will become a permanent display and will be added to the Southern Museum’s extensive collection of Andrews Raid artifacts, photos, and memorabilia which features the General as its centerpiece.

On Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, the museum will host “Camp McDonald: A Living History Weekend” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local re-enactment groups will recreate and interpret life in a Confederate encampment that was located nearby. Tickets purchased for this event also include admission to the museum.

For more information about the Great Locomotive Chase anniversary celebrations, visit southernmuseum.org/sesquicentennial/. For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

About The Southern Museum
A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about the Great Locomotive Chase, including the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war. The Jolley Education Center features a variety of hands-on exhibits to inspire a love of learning in children. During the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Southern Museum will be hosting numerous events that will explore topics relevant to this tumultuous time in history. Visit the Museum’s calendar of events at southernmuseum.org for a list of activities and events.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children three and under. 

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Bobby Horton sits down before performing on the evening of April 12, 1862, at the Southern Museum.

KENNESAW, Ga. — A CSX special train that parked at the historic Kennesaw train depot for the Southern Museum’s sesquicentennial observances of the Great Locomotive Chase departed this afternoon.

The day of commemorative activities kicked off at 6 a.m. with a breakfast, which began exactly 150 years after a group of Union spies stole the General locomotive in what is today downtown Kennesaw. The episode is memorialized in film, books and at The Southern Museum, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate that is home to The General.

The slate of commemorative activities planned for today also includes a dinner event at the Trackside Grill in downtown Kennesaw and a post-dinner concert featuring Bobby Horton, who will be performing Civil War-era music. The museum is also offering free admission to the public until 5 p.m. today.

In addition, on Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, the museum will host “Camp McDonald: A Living History Weekend” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local re-enactment groups will recreate and interpret life in a Confederate encampment that was located nearby. Tickets purchased for this event also include admission to the museum.

For more information about the Great Locomotive Chase anniversary celebrations, visit southernmuseum.org/sesquicentennial/. For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

About The Southern Museum
A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about the Great Locomotive Chase, including the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war. The Jolley Education Center features a variety of hands-on exhibits to inspire a love of learning in children. During the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Southern Museum will be hosting numerous events that will explore topics relevant to this tumultuous time in history. Visit the Museum’s calendar of events at southernmuseum.org for a list of activities and events.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children three and under. 

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KENNESAW, Ga. – Mayor Mark Mathews today commemorated the sesquicentennial of the Great Locomotive Chase, saying the episode is “a piece of our history that we remember, we memorialize and we honor.”

The day of commemorative activities kicked off at 6 a.m. with a breakfast, which began exactly 150 years after a group of Union spies stole the General locomotive in what is today downtown Kennesaw. The episode is memorialized in film, books and at The Southern Museum, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate that is home to The General.

The slate of commemorative activities planned for today also includes a dinner event at the Trackside Grill in downtown Kennesaw and a post-dinner concert featuring Bobby Horton, who will be performing Civil War-era music. The museum is also offering free admission to the public from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. today.

In addition, on Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, the museum will host “Camp McDonald: A Living History Weekend” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local re-enactment groups will recreate and interpret life in a Confederate encampment that was located nearby. Tickets purchased for this event also include admission to the museum.

For more information about the Great Locomotive Chase anniversary celebrations, visit southernmuseum.org/sesquicentennial/. For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

About The Southern Museum
A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about the Great Locomotive Chase, including the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war. The Jolley Education Center features a variety of hands-on exhibits to inspire a love of learning in children. During the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Southern Museum will be hosting numerous events that will explore topics relevant to this tumultuous time in history. Visit the Museum’s calendar of events at southernmuseum.org for a list of activities and events.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children three and under. 

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