Politics & Government

Museum Preps for Great Locomotive Chase Sesquicentennial

Kennesaw will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War event on April 12 and the following weekend.

In April, the will commemorate the sesquicentennial of in Kennesaw’s history, the

The chase took place in 1862 when Union spies, under the leadership of James J. Andrews, hijacked a locomotive named The General outside the l in present-day Kennesaw. Ultimately, the hijackers were pursued, the Union mission failed, and the General was returned to Georgia.

The was a legal one, waged in court between the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the City of Chattanooga to determine the historic engine’s rightful owner. Long story short, the famous locomotive ended up right here in Kennesaw at the Southern Museum.

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On Thursday, April 12, and during the following weekend, the city and museum will hold a series of ceremonies to commemorate the event. The museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. that day free of charge to the public.

April 12 Sesquicentennial Celebration

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  • 6 a.m. Breakfast at the in downtown Kennesaw. Tickets are $20.
  • 8:30 a.m. A 150th anniversary proclamation will be presented at the historic Kennesaw depot. There is no charge to attend.
  • 6:30 p.m. The museum will hold the Great Locomotive Chase dinner at the Trackside Grill. Tickets are $100.
  • 8 p.m. The museum will host “Dessert at the Southern Museum” featuring musician Bobby Horton, who will peform Civil War era songs. Tickets are $25 for those who do not attend the dinner.

Camp McDonald: A Living History Weekend

  • On April 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., local re-enactment groups will recreate and interpret life in Camp McDonald, a Confederate encampment that was located across the tracks from the museum during the Civil War.
  • Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 4-12, while children 3 and younger are free.
  • Tickets also allow entry to the museum, which will operate under normal hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 14 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 15.

For more information about the Southern Museum, call 770-427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.


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