DES MOINES
Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon will host a new traveling Civil War exhibit from the Department of Cultural Affairs Sept. 2021 from 9 am5 pm each day.
Presented by EMC Insurance Companies, The Fiery Trial: Iowa and the Civil War is housed in a 32-foot trailer that travels to local museums, libraries, schools and other venues across the state to serve Iowans in their communities.
The exhibit is part of DCAs History on the Move educational outreach program, which began two years ago with an exhibit about President Abraham Lincolns ties to Iowa. That exhibit served more than 25,000 Iowans in their communities last year.
This year, with the support of EMC Insurance Companies, continued support from Union Pacific Foundation, and support from Qwest, the State Historical Museum transformed the trailer into The Fiery Trial.
The exhibit includes: A visual timeline of Iowas participation in the Civil War; Exhibits about Iowans and their Civil War experiences; Information about Annie Wittenmyer, a Sanitation Agent for Iowa who oversaw the needs of Union Army soldiers; The impact of the Civil War on Iowa; The role Iowa played in the Civil Rights movement when it approved the right to vote for African-Americans; A computer program that allows visitors to research Civil War ancestors by person, town, township or congressional district.
More information about the State Historical Society of Iowa is available at www.iowahistory.org.
Web-based Civil War study guides are available through the State Historical Society of Iowas Prairie Voices curriculum, and from SHSIs Battle Flag program. Links to those Web pages follow: www.uni.edu/iowaonline/prairievoices/images/Iowa_and_the_Civil_War.pdf and www.iowaflags.org/info/assets/Flag_Study.pdf
In addition, the Prairie Trails Museum will have Profiles of Valor: Iowas Medal of Honor Recipients of the Civil War by Sen. Dennis Black and Outside In: African-American History in Iowa, 1838-2000 available for visitors.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the states interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.
