HistoryMobile Transports Fairgoers to Civil War
'Museum on Wheels' recognizes the Civil War's sesquicentennial and reminds Arlington residents about their state's past.
By Katy Nally August 13, 2011Stepping into the HistoryMobile offers much more than a reprieve from the humid fairgrounds – it transports viewers to a tumultuous time in Virginia’s past, and reminds residents about how their state endured the Civil War.
The initial room sets the scene, as a wavering voice comes on the loud speaker, and is quickly followed by gunshots. The speaker is reading an actual letter a Civil War soldier wrote in his final minutes. Fairgoers who checked out the HistoryMobile this week called that room an instant favorite.
“The gunshots put you right in the middle of it,” said Michael Flack, adding that he liked how the trailer was interactive.
“Kids would really enjoy it,” said Stephanie Mordensky.
Indeed, a group of boys wasted no time adding their own enthusiasm to the gunshots, pretending to be soldiers and pretending to shoot at each other. But they quieted down when the letter was read aloud. After the lights came back on, Rusty Nix, a tour guide for the Virginia Tourism Corp. explained, “No matter where you came from or who you were, everyone was affected by the Civil War.”
Nix said the purpose of the HistoryMobile was to show people “how the Civil War impacted all of Virginia.”
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