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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Civil War Photo Exhibit Opens

The Execution of the Lincoln Conspirators
(c) Chrysler Museum of Art
The Execution of the Lincoln Conspirators

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – The Cape Fear Museum's new exhibit captures scenes of ordinary men and historic moments in the Civil War.

Wilmington is one of only three cities to see the 50 original photographs that make ups this collection. This is the first time their home, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, has allowed the exhibit to travel.

According to Cape Fear Museum director Ruth Haas, her museum sought out the collection, which provides them with a rare chance to bring a significant historic exhibit.

"It's very easy for us to get science traveling exhibits and very difficult to get history traveling exhibits. Most of them exceed our budget and exceed our space availability."

Haas says the exhibit contains overlooked stories of the era, often captured by famous photographers.

"A good example, and something I was totally unaware of, were the photographs by Alexander Gardner of the hanging of the Lincoln conspirators, which is one of the first examples of photo journalism."

The Civil War photography exhibit is paired with a series of modern photographs of Civil War re-enactors, taken using historic pinhole camera technology. Haas says that by including this look at photographic technology, the exhibit melds the museum's two focus areas - science and history.
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The Cape Fear Museum's Civil War Photographs exhibit runs from Feb. 15th to May 28th and will include a series of lectures. Find a complete schedule here.

The Cameron Art Museum also hosts a weekend-long reenactment of the Battle of Forks Road on the weekend of February 24th-26th. find more information on their calendar.

Hear WHQR's profile of one local reenactor