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  • Civil War Dance Classes – Free

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Join us for Great Family Fun and it's Free! Prepare for the Civil War Preservation Ball, held on March 21, 2026 and join the Victorian Dance Ensemble for this annual event. There are three opportunities to attend - attend one or all and wear modern clothing. Sunday - January 11, February 8, and March 8 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM To register for the classes, email: PreservationBall@civilwardance.org with dates you plan to attend and names of all attendees. Enrollees will be sent a Civil War Dance Manual. Please visit our website at www.civilwardance.org

  • In-Person 2026 Lessons In History Presentation

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Join us for our first 2026 Lessons In History January 17, 2026 ~ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm *NOTE NEW TIME Featuring NCWM Curator, Brett E. Kelley, showcasing recent donations to the collections of The National Civil War Museum, some never before seen. This Lecture is Free and Open to the Public. Regular Museum admission applies for entrance to the NCWM Galleries.

  • Civil War Dance Classes – Free

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Join us for Great Family Fun and it's Free! Prepare for the Civil War Preservation Ball, held on March 21, 2026 and join the Victorian Dance Ensemble for this annual event. There are three opportunities to attend - attend one or all and wear modern clothing. Sunday - February 8, and March 8 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM To register for the classes, email: PreservationBall@civilwardance.org with dates you plan to attend and names of all attendees. Enrollees will be sent a Civil War Dance Manual. Please visit our website at www.civilwardance.org

  • Community Free Day – Celebrating our 25th Anniversary

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Join us on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14, 2026, as we celebrate 25 years of preserving and sharing Civil War history at The National Civil War Museum! Enjoy a Free Day of engaging programs and special presentations between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The day will feature a compelling presentation by Rachael Williams, a stirring appearance by James Hayney as President Abraham Lincoln, and many more anniversary-themed activities for visitors of all ages. Bring your family, friends, and history enthusiasts to help us commemorate this milestone year and experience the Museum in a whole new way—all free of charge. The National Civil War Museum is proud to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a Community Free Day on Saturday, February 14, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In honor of this milestone anniversary, the Museum will offer free admission to all visitors for a full day of history, education, and community celebration. Since opening its doors in February 2001, The National Civil War Museum has welcomed visitors from across the nation and around the world, serving as a premier institution dedicated to presenting the full story of the American Civil War. Over the past 25 years, the Museum has remained […]

  • Ephraim Slaughter: Freedom’s Witness

    Gamut Theatre Group 15 N 4TH ST, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Meet Ephraim Slaughter: a witness to war, resilience, and community. A 97-year- old veteran whose life asks us to reconsider how we see, hear, and remember. Sankofa African American Theatre Company & Gamut Theatre Group present, in partnership with The National Civil War Museum. EPHRAIM SLAUGHTER: FREEDOM’S WITNESS By Teresa Miller Directed by Sharia Benn PERFORMANCES: February 14 - 22, 2026 Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM Sundays at 2:30 PM LOCATION: Gamut Theatre Group 15 N 4TH ST Harrisburg, PA, 17101 Feb. 14, 15, 20, 21, 22. For More Information: https://www.gamuttheatre.org/sankofa Purchase Tickets Here: https://gtg.vbotickets.com/event/ephraim_slaughter_freedom%60s_witness/164487

  • William Henry Seward’s Quest to Save the Nation During the Secession Winter – Via ZOOM

    ZOOM

    Join us on February 26, 2026, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm for a ZOOM Civil Conversation with the author, C. Evan Stewart Click here to register: ZOOM link to William Henry Seward's Quest William Henry Seward’s Quest to Save the Nation During the Secession Winter In the winter of 1860-61, one man, William Henry Seward, Republican Senator from New York (the presumptive favorite for the 1860 Republican nomination for president; defeated by Lincoln on the third ballot), labored mightily to effectuate his plan to save the Union. Because of history’s (and historians’) heavy bias to portray Lincoln as almost a saint (see, for example, Jon Meacham’s “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle” (Random House 2022)), Seward’s prodigious efforts have either been ignored, given short shrift, or looked upon as something less than honorable. This short book – based upon original archival research and a comprehensive review of secondary sources – tells the story of Seward’s efforts. Counter-factual history is always an iffy business. But Seward’s “plan” did help to keep the Upper South States in the Union during the months before the president-elect became the president. And had his counsel been followed after March 4th, perhaps the […]

  • Civil War Dance Classes – Free

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Join us for Great Family Fun and it’s Free! Prepare for the Civil War Preservation Ball, held on March 21, 2026 and join the Victorian Dance Ensemble for this annual event. There are three opportunities to attend – attend one or all and wear modern clothing. Sunday – February 8, and March 8 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM To register for the classes, email: PreservationBall@civilwardance.org with dates you plan to attend and names of all attendees. Enrollees will be sent a Civil War Dance Manual. Please visit our website at www.civilwardance.org

  • A Special Program with Wayne E. Motts: Brigadier General George Sears Greene: Soldier, Engineer, Visionary

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    A Special Program with Wayne E. Motts: Brigadier General George Sears Greene: Soldier, Engineer, Visionary. Join us on March 14, 2026 | 11:00 AM. The Camp Curtin Historical Society/Civil War Round Table and The National Civil War Museum proudly present a special program featuring Wayne E. Motts, CEO of The National Civil War Museum. This program is Free and open to the public. Regular Museum admission applies for entrance to the NCWM Galleries. Mr. Motts will deliver an in-depth presentation on the life and legacy of Brigadier General George Sears Greene—one of the Civil War’s most remarkable, yet often overlooked, leaders. A Rare Artifact on Display As a special highlight of the program, Brigadier General Greene’s original jacket, preserved in the collection of The National Civil War Museum, will be on display during the event. Following the presentation, the Camp Curtin Historical Society will unveil a newly installed wayside marker at Reservoir Park, enhancing interpretation of the park’s important role in Harrisburg’s Civil War history. About George Sears Greene Though best known for his brigade’s steadfast defense of Culp’s Hill at the Battle of Gettysburg, Greene’s contributions extended far beyond the battlefield. Before and after the war, he enjoyed a distinguished […]

    Free

  • Lessons in History: Preserving the Past – The Conservation of Katherine Wilson Curtin’s Dress – In Person

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Lessons in History: Preserving the Past — The Conservation of Katherine Wilson Curtin’s DressSaturday, March 21 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM The National Civil War Museum is proud to present our March Lessons in History program exploring the remarkable conservation of a rare garment belonging to Katherine Wilson Curtin, wife of Pennsylvania’s Civil War Governor Andrew Curtin. Representatives from the Daughters of Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Katherine Wilson Curtin tent will discuss their conservation efforts. This elegant French-made purple velvet and silk dress, dating to the late nineteenth century, offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the personal life of one of Pennsylvania’s most important wartime families. More than a beautiful artifact, the dress tells a story of status, mourning customs, craftsmanship, and the social world surrounding the Commonwealth’s wartime leadership. During this program, guests will learn how historians and textile conservators stabilized and preserved the fragile garment so it could safely be exhibited and studied for future generations. The presentation will examine the challenges of conserving historic clothing, the techniques used to protect delicate fabrics, and what such artifacts reveal about the people who lived through and shaped the Civil War era. Join us as we […]

  • Lessons in History-Opium Slavery Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PMLocation: Education Gallery (First Floor) Join The National Civil War Museum for a powerful and eye-opening program with author Jonathan S. Jones, as he discusses his new book, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis. During the Civil War, opium and morphine were widely used and considered essential to battlefield medicine. These powerful drugs eased pain, treated illness, and saved lives. Yet when the war ended, thousands of veterans returned home physically wounded—and unknowingly dependent on the very medicines that had sustained them. In the decades that followed, addiction—often described in the nineteenth century as being “enslaved” to opium—became a hidden epidemic among former soldiers. Veterans and their families struggled with the medical, social, and emotional consequences of dependency. At the same time, prevailing cultural attitudes framed addiction as a sign of moral weakness, unmanliness, or mental instability, limiting effective treatment and deepening suffering. Drawing on veterans’ firsthand accounts, hospital and asylum records, government reports, newspaper coverage, and contemporary advertisements, Dr. Jones uncovers the largely forgotten story of America’s first opioid crisis. His research sheds new light on […]

  • Lessons in History-“A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater” 

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    "A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater" Saturday, May 16, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PMLocation: Education Gallery (First Floor)ISBN: 9781469684819 Join The National Civil War Museum for a compelling presentation by prizewinning author A. Wilson Greene, as he discusses the Battle of the Crater. The contest for Petersburg, Virginia lasted 292 days in 1864 and 1865, but the most memorable of those days was July 30, 1864.  It was then that intrepid Union miners exploded a mine under a Confederate fort, creating a gigantic crater and blowing a 500-yard wide gap in the enemy lines.  Ulysses S Grant characterized the tragic attacks that followed as 'the saddest affair I witnessed in the war' and the Battle of the Crater is widely considered to be the most transcendent event of the entire Petersburg Campaign. Admission Admission to the program is free. Regular Museum admission applies for those wishing to tour the National Civil War Museum galleries. About the Author A. Wilson Greene spent forty-four years in public history, including twenty-four years working on the Petersburg battlefields. His first volume in this trilogy, From the Crossing of the James to the Crater, was published in 2018. Greene resides […]

  • Lessons in History-A Hell of a Regiment: To Gettysburg and Beyond with the Twentieth Maine

    The National Civil War Museum 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA, United States

    A Hell of a Regiment: To Gettysburg and Beyond with the Twentieth Maine Saturday, June 6, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PMLocation: Education Gallery (First Floor)ISBN: 9780811778152 One of the most famous regiments of the American Civil War, the 20th Maine earned lasting renown during its dramatic defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg under the command of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Peatman offers a fresh account of the regiment’s transformation from inexperienced recruits into one of the Union Army’s most legendary fighting units. His work explores the leadership, discipline, and determination that helped shape the regiment’s enduring legacy. Admission This program is free to attend. Regular Museum admission applies for those wishing to tour the National Civil War Museum galleries. About the Author Jared Peatman holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and is a Senior Fellow at the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. He is also the director of curriculum for the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg and the author of several works exploring leadership and the Civil War.