Lake County Discovery Museum to host Civil War exhibit
One hundred and fifty years later, in the modern era of predator drones, the American Civil War is hardly remembered as a high-tech conflict.
But visitors to the Lake County Discovery Museum's newest exhibit, “Civil War High Tech,” will probably encounter a few surprises about the cutting-edge of the 1860s. Like this: the first submarine to successfully sink a warship was hand-cranked toward its target by eight Confederate crew members, then promptly sank off South Carolina's coast following the attack.
Aerial reconnaissance balloons, telegraph technology, and the rapid-fire Gatling gun are among features in the interactive exhibit, which opened recently and kicks off a series of lectures and events to mark the sesquicentennial of the start of the war in April 1861.
Justin Collins, the museum's exhibits developer, said he hopes exploring how technology advanced and influenced the outcome of the war will give visitors a different perspective from a simple chronology.
“Our whole point is for people to come away with a different appreciation of what was going on during the war,” Collins said. “We wanted to take the mythology of it away and make it real again.”
The exhibit runs until Aug. 21 at the museum, located at Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda. Admission is $6 for adults, with discounts available for children and seniors.
Exhibits manager Steve Furnett said it was designed with children and adults in mind.
To learn how railroads impacted war strategy, visitors will be able to use an interactive railroad feature to transport military supplies and troops. A model of the H.L. Hunley will give visitors who crawl inside a close-up glimpse of the ill-fated Confederate submarine.
Visitors can also learn about aerial surveillance from the basket of a hot-air balloon or about ironclad ships from inside a re-created turret of the USS Monitor.
Period pieces from the museum's collection will be on display, including a Gatling gun and other weapons, a Navy uniform, and a canon ball fragment from the Battle of Bull Run.
Another section will showcase tintype and daguerreotype photography.
A Feb. 21 event kicked off the commemorative events that will include presentations by Civil War re-enactors and craft activities for children.
Museum educator Seleena Kuester said half a dozen talks are scheduled through May on Civil War topics like medical innovations, the underground railroad, and Lake County's involvement in the war. Registration is required for some of the events.
In July, spectators and period actors will descend on the forest preserve lawn for an annual Civil War battle re-enactment, a popular two-day event celebrating its 20th year.