Civil War talk at East Stroudsburg University

  • 2021-04-04
The National Civil War Museum (NCWM) in Harrisburg will be presenting professor of history at East Stroudsburg University, Michael P. Gray, Ph.D., as part of its Lessons in History Speaker Series for 2021.

The title of Dr. Gray’s lecture is “Crossing the Deadlines: The Rise of Civil War Prisons as Dark Tourist Destinations.” The focus of his lecture will be prison camps during the civil wat and how they became part of what is known as “dark tourism.” He will relate how prison camps became involved in capitalism and competition and evolved in tourist attractions. This turn of events benefitted businesspeople but was detrimental to the prisoners themselves.

Dr. Gray has said that unlike the many other dark tourist stops in the United States during the 1800s, these prison camps during the Civil were supervised by the military and condoned those civilians who acted out during the war by protesting and engaging in other related activities.

There is limited seating for those who wish to attend the event in person and so need to register in advance. There is no charge for the lecture. Such lectures are often promoted throughout a campus and a region with poster printing.

The talk will be held both in person at the NCWM and online at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday April 10.