News

New Hands-On Exhibition Rolls into Kennesaw

KENNESAW, GA – A fun and interactive exhibition for children and adults, Railroading in the Southeast, is scheduled to open July 3 at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate.

The exhibit will chronicle the impact railroads had on the South through photos, text, hands-on exhibits, and a compelling video of interviews with railroad workers.

“I don’t know who’ll have more fun - the kids or the parents,” questioned Museum Executive Director Jeff Drobney, “the locomotive cab simulator is great!
The simulator is just one activity for the adults. They can also try their hands at a working telegraph station where Morse code messages can be sent back and forth.

Children under eight will have their own area to play with wooden model trains, build Lego™ trains, pretend to serve and eat food on a recreation dining car, listen to railroad story-time and more.

The unique history of railroading is detailed in photographs and exhibits. Subjects from steam engines to the transport of people exploring other cities will be canvassed.

The Grand Opening of the exhibit on July 31 will feature day-long festivities including

• Storytelling inside “Big Shanty” Depot reproduction at Noon, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM
• 10:30 AM Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
• 11:00 AM Interactive Discussion: “Southern Heritage: Preserving Railroads in the Southeast.”
• 11:00 AM Special Guest: Interviewees from Working on the Railroad Documentary
• Noon Interpretive Program: “Railroading in the Southeast”
• 1:00 PM Lecture: “Preserving the Southern Museum Archives and Your Own”
• 2:00 PM Special Guest: Documentary Film Crew
• 2:00 PM Book Signing-The Southern Railway by authors Sallie Loy, Dick Hillman, and C. Pat Cates
• 3:00 PM Lecture: “Riding the Rails”
• 4:00 PM Interpretive Program: “HIGHBALL! You’re the Engineer!”

The exhibit and children’s areas were made possible with the support of the North American Railway Foundation, Publix Supermarket Charities, and the Imlay Foundation.

The Southern Museum is 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273, Wade Green Road. For more information, visit www.southernmuseum.org or call (770) 427-2117.