Richmond National Battlefield Park and the 2012 Sesquicentennial Countdown
The final countdown to 2012 has brought excitement and, admittedly, a slight touch of panic to Richmond National Battlefield Park!
I’m happy to offer a quick update:
Members of the Park staff have met with community partners several times throughout the late summer and fall to discuss next year’s events, beginning with the commemoration of Drewry’s Bluff in May and continuing on into June and July with the commemoration of the Seven Days battles. The staff is currently in the process of drafting operations plans, putting together programs, and coordinating various events at the different battlefield locations around Richmond and at key sites within the city itself. RNBP is seeking to make the 2012 150th commemorations both educational and reverent, with the more solemn events taking place on the actual date (and in some instances, time) of the battles themselves, and the more general, educational events taking place on the weekends.
The Park staff is hoping to elucidate large themes about the significance of the Seven Days battles by contextualizing them in relation to preceding and succeeding military, political and social events, both on the battlefield and on the home front, South and North.
We are very excited to offer a variety of programs and special events that appeal to a wide range of visitors, encourage interactive learning and critical thinking, and provoke new questions and insights into Richmond’s Civil War history and its relevance to the modern day. These programs will take place both out on the various battlefields surrounding Richmond and in the downtown area itself.
Much of our work is still in-process and under discussion, so without giving too much away, I’ll just say that we believe that our visitors will have much to look forward to next spring in Richmond. Please keep an eye on our ever-growing calendar of events on our Park website (www.nps.gov/RICH) for updates on our commemorative activities as they draw closer!