NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2008

Contact: Corey Thornton, (757) 393-8591

New Civil War Era Exhibit Opening at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum

On August 14, 2008 Resistance & Reunion: Portsmouth in the Civil War Era, 1841-1880, the new permanent exhibit at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, opens to the public! As efforts to tell the story of the history of the City of Portsmouth and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard continue, this exhibit will focus on the Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Highlights of the exhibit include the Yellow Fever of 1855; the Underground Railroad; Confederate and Union occupation; the Battle of Hampton Roads; and the post-war effects on the city and the shipyard.

During the Antebellum period Portsmouth’s economy relied heavily on shipbuilding and maritime trade. Availability of work stimulated progress in Portsmouth, including the establishment of the first public school; a new courthouse; a mayoral and city council government; construction of new hotels; and Portsmouth becoming an independent city. Unfortunately, progress came to a halt in the summer of 1855 when Portsmouth’s population was stricken with Yellow Fever.

Throughout the country the issue of slavery grew to become a heated topic of national debate by the 1840’s and 50’s. Though slavery was a part of everyday life in Portsmouth, some residents objected to it and secretly assisted runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad, a coordinated system of locations that provided passage from southern to northern states. The national debate over slavery ultimately led to the secession of many southern states and shortly after, Civil War.

When Virginia seceded in April 1861 an estimated 1,400 men from Portsmouth and outlying Norfolk County volunteered for service in the Virginia militia, which was later absorbed into the Confederate Army. A year later, Confederate forces were evacuated and Portsmouth was occupied throughout the rest of the war by Union forces. Under occupation jobs were scarce; personal belongings were seized; and citizens had to take oaths of allegiance in order to protect their property. At war’s end in 1865 approximately 620,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, had given their lives.

After the Civil War the country began the process of rebuilding. Immediately after the war citizens found difficulty finding employment; the city was $300,000 in debt; schools were closed; and there was political strife in city government. By 1880 Portsmouth was gaining momentum in returning to its status as a prosperous community and a major port; and the shipyard was on the brink of playing a major role in the modernization of the United States Navy.

Resistance & Reunion opens with a reception between the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum in collaboration with the opening of The Courthouse Galleries’ exhibit Thrown, Carved and Fired: Ceramic Arts on Thursday, August 14, 2008 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The opening continues on Saturday, August 16th with Civil War era themed activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. Come join us!

To find out more about this new exhibit please contact Corey Thornton at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum at (757) 393-8591.