The ominous threat of bad weather wasn’t enough to deter the more than 300 people who turned out to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History to help celebrate its 10th birthday.
During the inaugural Museum Night, guests had the rare chance to climb aboard The General locomotive made famous during the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase. Visitors also partook in a multitude of family-friendly activities – including a railroad camp, slot cars and an operating model train layout – and could view a pair of antique vehicles on display – a 1940 Packard and a 1955 Chevrolet.
Museum Night is the first of two new events to be unveiled in 2013; the other – Railroad Rendezvous – is scheduled for July.
“The General has attracted throngs of visitors over the years, and we’re thrilled so many people turned out for the rare chance to climb on this historic locomotive,” said Dr. Richard Banz, the museum’s executive director. “We know this event will be a popular one for years to come.”
The Southern Museum reopened on March 30, 2003, following a $6 million expansion to the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, where the General resided since April 12, 1972.
The event was sponsored by Atlanta Bonded Warehouse. Cornerstone Cookie Co. of Marietta and Subway in Kennesaw donated food for the event.
For more information about the Southern Museum and future events, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.