Celebrate Shiloh’s 131st birthday as a National Military Park

Celebrate Shiloh’s 131st Birthday as a National Military Park

Shiloh, TN – Shiloh National Military Park invites the public to join park rangers, living historians, and the Hardin County Visitor and Convention Bureau on Saturday, December 27, to commemorate the 131st anniversary of the establishment of Shiloh Battlefield as a National Military Park.

On December 27, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed into law the legislation creating Shiloh National Military Park, preserving the battlefield and honoring those who fought there. The anniversary celebration will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the park’s visitor center and will feature refreshments, interpretive programs, living historians, and a temporary exhibit of rarely seen artifacts from the park’s museum collection.

Throughout the day, living historians portraying post-war members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and the United Confederate Veterans (UCV) will interpret veterans’ activities during the period when the park was established. Alongside the living historians there will also be information about the modern-day efforts of the veterans’ descendants to preserve and promote the memory of their ancestors who served.

At 1:00 p.m., Ranger Anthony Killion will present a 30-minute illustrated program exploring the creation of Shiloh National Military Park. The presentation will take place in the visitor center auditorium. Following the program, refreshments will be provided courtesy of Hardin County Tourism.

In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to view a special temporary exhibit featuring rarely displayed veterans’ items from the park’s museum collection. Artifacts will include military reunion medals, uniforms, veteran magazines, and images—many of which were donated to the park over the past century by veterans and their families.

For more information about this and other events at Shiloh and Corinth battlefields, please call 731-689-5696, visit www.nps.gov/shil, follow @ShilohNPS on Twitter, or visit facebook.com/ShilohNMP.

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