About a month ago, I took a work day to experience Petersburg. I’ve already written about some of the other Petersburg highlights, especially Blandford Church.

The Siege Museum is not huge. It has three main exhibit rooms for it’s permanent displays, a theater, and an area on the first floor for temporary exhibits (I liked the one there at the time on the area’s geological history, and Petersburg’s Lee Park. They were scheduled to end in January, however). There is plenty of Petersburg history from a very significant period in the city’s time, focusing on the 10-month siege on Petersburg during the Civil War.  A film “The Echoes Still Remain” about the siege is worth seeing, because it sets the tone for life during the war and the hardships the town endured, including the “Starvation Balls” people held (dances and parties without refreshments) because there were no ways to get food and drink to the city.  Eating dogs, cats and pigeons?

The best parts of the exhibits in the museum are the period furniture, the examples of innovative machinery from early Petersburg industry and the large box of Confederate money that was found stashed in the walls of the building, known as the Exchange Building (built between 1839 and 1841). Take your time and see for yourself. Also, see our video of the museum, filmed and narrated by our man Andrew Cothern.

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

Post Your Comments: