Visiting the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
I thought that I would do a series of articles on local points of interest to those who might be visiting the Atlanta, Georgia USA area. Here’s the first in this series.
Getting There
The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History is located in Kennesaw, Georgia at 2829 Cherokee Street.
This is in the old downtown part of Kennesaw and it’s right on the railroad tracks. The crossing there is rather rough so be careful if you come in from that direction. If you need handicap parking there are about 10 such spaces located right at the entrance of the museum that you can use. Regular parking is around back.
Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War Exhibit
The first section of the museum is a nice display of Civil War facts and relics, primarily geared toward the life of Confederate soldiers and civilians as well as the effect railroads had on the war. Their collection is rather impressive so expect to spend some time lingering over these displays. If you’ve looked at Civil War displays before you’ve probably seen a lot of this stuff before like minnie balls and officers’ swords but there are some interesting items mixed in like field surgeon’s implements and various railroad related devices.
Glover Machine Works Exhibit
The second part of the tour takes a look at how the South began industrialization after the war. In Georgia, companies like the Glover Machine Works were a big part of this growth. I actually found this part of the museum more interesting. Since I look at things from a technical perspective I see how much what happened then influences how we do things today in the Internet age.
The Great Locomotive Chase
This is the big attraction of the museum. They have a short movie on the Great Locomotive Chase that takes stock footage from the 50’s Disney movie and splices in other actors and narration. After that you can see the General itself. It had an amazing history so take the time to read the displays. This is certainly the pinnacle of the visit for a train buff.
Special Events
The museum has special events and exhibits from time to time so check the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History web site to get the most recent info.
In the Area
They have a nice little gift shop in the building that sells the usual stuff such stores sell plus a few items unique to the museum. Purchases help fund the museum so try to buy something. Across the tracks you’ll find a few other souvenir stores. We didn’t find them very worthwhile the last time we visited but things change. We also found the Whistle Stop Cafe located in the same area to have rather sub-standard food. It might be better to try somewhere else for your dining experience.
That’s it. If you have any questions about it or comments of your own, let me know.
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