Civil War High Tech - Discovery Museum
Exhibit exploring the role of technology in the American Civil War opened February 5.
Discover how technological advances influenced the American Civil War in Civil War High Tech, the Lake County Discovery Museum's newest original exhibition. Learn about submarines, reconnaissance balloons, ironclad ships, railroads and other technology in this interactive exhibit, on display in Wauconda, Illinois from February 5 to August 21, 2011.
Civil War High Tech explores how the American Civil War influenced technology at the time, and how technology helped the Union win the war. The exhibit focuses on a variety of technologies, including repeating firearms, ironclad ships, reconnaissance balloons, telegraphs, submarines and railroads. Hands-on activities throughout the exhibition help illustrate the mechanics and advantages of these technologies.
Climb inside a re-creation of the Confederate submarine, H.L. Hunley, to learn about the first successful submarine attack. Peer out the turret of the USS Monitor, the first ironclad, and learn how new ship designs revolutionized the navy. Step into the basket of a reconnaissance balloon and see how this new vantage point changed tactics for Civil War commanders. Move supplies and troops on our interactive railroad table to see firsthand how railroads changed the pace and strategies of war. Build a circuit to learn how telegraphs work, and discover how they greatly increased the speed at which information was transmitted during the war.
A variety of period items from the museum's collection are featured throughout the exhibit, including a Gatling gun, Civil War binoculars, an 1861 Lake County map, a Navy uniform, railroad related items, a fragment of a cannon ball from the Battle of Bull Run, assorted rifles and a cannon.
The Lake County Discovery Museum is located on Route 176, just west of Fairfield Road and east of Wauconda in Lakewood Forest Preserve. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors ages 55 and older and students ages 18 to 25, and $2.50 for youth ages four to 17. Children three years and under are free. On Discount Tuesdays, admission is $3 for adults, and youth 17 years and under are free. Admission is always free for museum members. Civil War High Tech is sponsored by the Daily Herald and the Lake County Regional Office of Education.
For more information about the exhibit or to download discount admission coupons, call 847-968-3400 or visit online at www.LCFPD.org/Tech.
Civil War High Tech is part of the Lake County Discovery Museum's Civil War Sesquicentennial event series. Find out more about Sesquicentennial events at www.LCFPD.org/150.
About the Lake County Discovery Museum
The Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda provides visitors with hands-on exhibits and educational programs. The nationally accredited museum also is home to the nation's largest collection of picture postcards. The museum is part of the Lake County Forest Preserve District, which manages more than 29,200 acres of land and offers innovative educational, recreational and cultural opportunities for all ages.
