Boschong Subscribers, I received the following press release about the name change for the New Market Battlefield. ------------------------------ Virginia Museum of the Civil War New Market Battlefield * Historic Bushong Farm * Shenandoah Valley Tourist Information Center P.O. Box 1864 New Market, VA 22844 866-515-1864 (toll free) 540-740-3101 (local) 540-740-3033 (fax) _www.vmi.edu/newmarket_ (http://www.vmi.edu/newmarket) Administered by the Virginia Military Institute FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9 June 2011 New Market Battlefield State Historical Park Adopts New Name CONTACT: Scott H. Harris, Director, [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) 866-515-1864 NEW MARKET, VIRGINIA—What’s in a name? For the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, that question has been answered with a new identity that reflects the site’s multi-faceted mission: The Virginia Museum of the Civil War. In announcing the new name, the Virginia Military Institute acknowledges a three-part interpretive mission for its New Market facility: 1. The experience of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the American Civil War 2. The Battle of New Market, with particular emphasis on the role played by the VMI Cadets 3. The social and military history of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War era. The site where the cadets helped win a Confederate victory on May 15, 1864 was designated the New Market Battlefield Memorial in 1967, with the Bushong farmhouse as a visitor center. The Hall of Valor Museum opened in 1970, incorporating both information on the Battle of New Market and exhibits covering the Civil War in the Commonwealth that were relocated from the Virginia Civil War Centennial Center in Richmond following the end of that commemoration. During the 1970s, reconstruction of the Bushong Farm outbuildings allowed a more complete story of the family’s life in the era to be told. By the 1980s, the site had become the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, reflecting a closer association with its state ownership through VMI. “While the name is new, the fundamental mission really hasn’t changed,” notes the museum’s director, Scott Harris. “Inclusion of the Centennial exhibits expands our context beyond the Battle of New Market to address the broader story of the war throughout Virginia. This, coupled with the chance to focus on the civilian experience at the Bushong Farm, allows us to present special exhibits, programs, publications, and other activities that reflect that larger mission. As Virginia and the rest of the nation observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we felt the time was right to adopt a name that better reflects our diverse interpretive focus.” Harris notes that the elements of the museum most familiar to local residents, VMI alumni, and past visitors remain—the museum building, which includes both exhibits and the theater showing the Emmy award-winning Battle of New Market film Field of Lost Shoes daily every hour; the Bushong Farm, featuring two original houses and eight reconstructed outbuildings; and the battlefield walking trails, extending two miles through the core area of fighting on May 15, 1864. Earlier this year, the museum took on another role as home of the Shenandoah Valley Tourist Information Center, taking over from the Shenandoah Valley Travel Association. Website, signage, and marketing materials for the Virginia Museum of the Civil War will take several months to implement fully, and a period of transition is expected to both explain and expand awareness of the new identity. ----------------------------- Submitted by Gloria Bushong