Educational activities, photo opportunities and reenactors bring World War II to life at the N.C. Maritime Museum, Saturday, Aug. 11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, with family friendly activities from learning what life was like on the home front, to surviving the front lines.
Reenactors representing both Axis and Allied troops will share the everyday life of soldiers and sailors, while the education department will teach visitors of all ages how to spot enemy planes and submarines, and what the entire country did to work together for one objective – to defeat the Axis powers. Propaganda posters, dress-up stations and scavenger hunts round out an incredible day at the museum.
A World War II temporary exhibit in conjunction with the living history program will be available to the public until September, and permanent exhibits on the Wilmington Shipyard and the torpedoing of the SS John D. Gill will be available year-round.
“During World War II the Wilmington Shipyard was a major employer for many people. Both black and white people worked in the shipyard, and many traveled from surrounding counties to Wilmington for work. Some commuted as far as 200 miles,” said Curator of Education Katy Menne. Through research at East Carolina University’s Joyner Library’s Special Collections, she learned that “6,000 of the Wilmington Shipyard employees were African American, and 1,000 were women.”
Want to learn more about World War II Lower Cape Fear History? Interested in attending? Contact the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport for more information 910-477-5153 or visit the museum’s Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/184504039039297/