Civil War Mobile Exhibit Trailer

The State Historical Society of Iowa celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Civil War on April 12th through the grand-opening of its Civil War mobile trailer exhibit.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was honored with the ribbon-cutting of the History on the Move trailer, which will travel to various venues throughout the state. Applied Art had the privilege to facilitate its interior and exterior design and renovation (previously it housed an Abraham Lincoln exhibit), in collaboration with Jennie Bailey of the Historic Iowa Exhibit Design and Craig Fritzjunker of Junker Group, LLC.

Music from the period and recruitment posters welcomes visitors as they walk up the ramp to the entrance. Inside, the exhibit features a combination of graphic panels, videos, interactives and other elements telling of Iowans' contributions during the Civil War. The colorful timeline, enhanced with historic images, leads the visitor through the major milestones of the war.

Digital frames display images that:

• Chronicle each state's policy on slavery and status in the Union from 1790 to 1870
• Show the strategy used by the Union to subdue the Confederacy
• Pinpoint the locations of battles in which Iowa regiments participated

To bring the war to a personal level, the visitor may search a database of Iowans who fought in the war or view a video on the reasons Iowans went off to fight.

As visitors exit the exhibit, a large video monitor brings home the war's aftermath, showing how its effects reverberate to this day.

Exhibit renovation was sponsored by EMC Insurance, Qwest, and the Union Pacific Foundation.


~Rachel