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The Civil War Comes to Carteret County

The Union Army invades Beaufort this weekend, photo by Curt Cole.

March 22, 2012 - Beaufort, NC - Cannons and cavalry, music and living history - Step back to 1862 as the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort offers a free Civil War Sesquicentennial "Living History Weekend" on Saturday, March 24, and Sunday, March 25.

Held in partnership with the Beaufort Historical Association, Cape Lookout National Seashore, and Fort Macon State Park, events will be offered on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"The year 2012 commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Union invasion and occupation of Beaufort," said Museum event coordinator Lori Duppstadt. "The weekend of events will bring history alive for visitors of all ages."

Throughout downtown Beaufort, re-enactors will create vignettes of drills, encampments, and life in a Union-occupied town. Visitors will also be able to watch cannon demonstrations, and take interpretive tours historic homes and the Old Burying Ground.

To show the widespread impact of the occupation, additional Civil War sites throughout Carteret County will hold programs. Take a tour of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, watch a rare night-time cannon firing at Fort Macon State Park, and enjoy Civil War-era music at The History Place.

For more information, call (252)728-7317. The Museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort is located at 315 Front Street. The three North Carolina Maritime Museums are the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum located in Hatteras, the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport. All three museums are part of the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.