scholarly journals Old War, New Deal: Commemorative Landscapes, the National Park Service, and the 75th Anniversary of the Civil War

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah N. Oakes
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
New Deal ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
75Th Anniversary ◽  
Park Service

The 150-Year War

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 149-166
Author(s):  
Olivia Williams Black
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Fort Sumter

In the century and a half since 1865, Fort Sumter and its home city have been the battlefield for another conflict, a struggle to control the memory—and the meaning—of the Civil War. Fort Sumter provides a telling case study in how the National Park Service has helped to shape the historical narratives of its sites, and how it participates in debates over the meaning of events. During both the centennial of the war (1961–65) and the sesquicentennial (2011–15), Charleston was the site of elaborate ceremonies that dramatized evolving interpretations of the conflict.

Terrain

2020 ◽  
pp. 160-186
Author(s):  
Judkin Browning ◽  
Timothy Silver
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
The South ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Quality Water ◽  
Critical Resource ◽  
Ground Limestone

This chapter discusses not only how terrain shaped battles, but also how battles and campaigns affected the landscape for decades after the war. Armies utilized high ground, limestone formations, and dense woods to give them advantages in battle, but also engaged in massive deforestation, and reshaped the terrain with fortifications and artillery explosions. The Union campaign to capture Saltville, VA is discussed as a way of denying the South that critical resource. William Sherman’s siege of Atlanta devastated that city and led to a reshaping of its residential geography in the decades after the war due to the search for quality water and high ground. The agricultural practices of the South led to extreme soil erosion after the war. The chapter also discusses the National Park Service interpretation of Civil War battlefields, and the myriad problems with trying to present these landscapes as they were during the war.

Stories Retold, Memories Remade

2018 ◽  
pp. 35-64
Author(s):  
Nina Silber
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Lost Cause ◽  
Racial Oppression ◽  
Arts Programs ◽  
Park Service ◽  
War Stories

The chapter considers how traditional ways of remembering the Civil War began to shift as fewer of the war’s participants – soldiers and civilians – were still alive. Important new actors helped shape new memories about the war including writers and artists in the New Deal’s Federal Arts programs, the National Park Service (now serving as stewards of many Civil War battlefields), and producers and artists in Hollywood. These new actors gave greater visibility to Civil War stories that had often been overlooked – including John Brown’s antislavery crusade and tales that more explicitly acknowledged racial oppression. Still, Lost Cause themes showed surprising staying power, albeit in ways that were adapted for modern audiences.

Philanthropy and the National Park Service

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Vaughn ◽  
Hanna J. Cortner
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Park Service

A Question Of Relevance

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-123
Author(s):  
Michael A. Capps
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Interpretive Approach ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Educational Component

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is an example of one memorial site that has successfully managed to retain relevance for nearly one hundred years by adapting to changes in scholarship and the expectations of its visitors. Initially created as a purely commemorative site, it has evolved into one where visitors can actively engage with the Lincoln story. By embracing an interpretive approach to managing the site, the National Park Service has been able to add an educational component to the experience of visiting the memorial that complements its commemorative nature.

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