Crittenden County is taking part in statewide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (1861-65) at the history museum in Marion. A special display, courtesy of Crittenden County Historical Society in partnership with Marion Tourism Commission, will pay homage to Kentucky's role in what is the most significant conflict in American history."It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the Confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained Kentucky," wrote Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Dr. James M. McPherson, "and, conversely, that the Union's success in retaining Kentucky as a base for invasions of the Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory."
A brief history and images from the divisive five-year war will be on display all month at Crittenden County Historical Museum. “Civil War Kentucky,” a new Kentucky Historical Society Museums-to-Go exhibit, is a stand-alone, six-panel display that will provide visitors with a general overview of the Civil War in the Bluegrass State. Each panel is dedicated to a different theme:
- Kentucky’s Turning Point: The Civil War
- 1861: Should Kentucky Stay or Go?
- 1862: The Confederate Invasion of Kentucky
- 1863: Struggling with Slavery
- 1864: The Slow End of Slavery
- 1865: Rubble and Racism
