Civil War programming at Stanislaus County Libraries
The Stanislaus County Library will host Civil War 150: Exploring the War and Its Meaning Through the Words of Those Who Lived It, through programs and displays and materials that educate about the Civil War.
The library will offer two film events highlighting the Civil War and life during that era. “Lincoln and Lee at Antietam” will be shown on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Modesto Library. This documentary film, which focuses on the single bloodiest day in American history, is narrated by Ronald F. Maxwell, director of Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. On Saturday, March 28, 2 p.m., a screening of “Shenandoah” will be offered at the Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library. In this classic film, set in 1863, James Stewart plays a wealthy Virginia landowner who refuses to take sides in the Civil War. The story involves a series of family tragedies related to the war, culminating in a sentimental finale. “Shenandoah” proved to be a hit with audiences on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, and was adapted to a musical, which opened on Broadway in January 1975.
Community members can further explore the Civil War era by viewing the Civil War 150 online exhibit at www.gilderlehrman.org/civil war 150, or by attending the American Civil War Association’s “Knights Ferry Civil War Days” on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Civil War 150 project isa national public programming initiative designed to encourage public exploration of the transformative impact and contested meanings of the Civil War through primary documents and firsthand accounts. The project is presented by The Library of America, in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about Civil War 150 at the Stanislaus County Library, please visit www.stanislauslibrary.org.
