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You can still find the old city if you
look, you can hear it if you listen," says Petersburg native Joseph Cotten
as he narrates the inspiring movie shown at the Siege Museum about
the ten months Petersburg was under siege. It was a time of courage and a
time of fortitude; no other American city has endured such a long trial.
Petersburg became the Union target
because General Ulysses S. Grant believed it was "the key to taking
Richmond." He felt that in order to take Petersburg,
he needed to sever the five railroad lines that fed the city. At the
Siege Museum, the civilians' side of the last
great struggle of the War Between the States is told. They suffered
almost daily shelling.
The museum's exhibit of shells reveals
that the never ending bombardment left few buildings unmarked. Shells
flew so thick and fast they even met in midair, as you will discover. The
relatively small size of most of the shells meant that almost all of the
damage was repairable.
Personal accounts from diaries and
letters lend poignancy to the fear and hunger the townspeople endured.
Although they had little to share, ladies smuggled what they could to the
men protecting the city. They carried food, supplies and messages beneath
their crinolines. Miss Anne Pigman ran the blockade disguised as a poor
market woman. Fortunately gallantry was observed by both sides. Had she
been required to lift her skirts even an inch, she would have revealed not
only smuggled goods but her $60 shoes, a sure giveaway. The expensive
shoes are now on display in the museum.
The display on "The City and Its People"
re-creates a portion of a typical Petersburg parlor and an office from the
Bank of the City of Petersburg. There's also a children's desk and school
box indicative of the normal routines the citizens tried to follow.
A more comprehensive look at banking in
Petersburg is given at the visitor center located in the Farmers Bank
Museum in Old Towne, easily located by following the bright red
Petersburg Tour markers. Banks in the 1800s were primarily for the wealthy,
so the Farmers Bank was established to serve the common man. The bank
museum has a cashier's office with a printing press used to print
Confederate money, a teller's office with a small safe made at the
Petersburg ironworks, plus a bank vault where you can see the hidden chamber
beneath the regular vault. You'll learn that when customers applied for a
loan, directors would vote with marbles. The black marble indicated a no
confidence vote, hence the derivation of the word "blackball." The Farmers Bank
Museum is closed October through March.
The visitors center and Siege
Museum are located within a block of each other. Except for holidays both
are open daily, 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. There is a small charge for the Siege
Museum. On your stroll from one to the other you can browse through the
boutiques and antique shops in Old Towne. Along the main street, there are
several excellent places for lunch.
Directions: Take I-95 to Petersburg, Exit
52, Washington street. Follow Washington Street to the fifth traffic signal
and turn right onto Market Street. At the second traffic signal turn right
onto Bank Street. The Siege Museum is at 15 W. Bank Street and free
public parking is available behind the museum. For additional information
on Petersburg call the Petersburg
Visitor Center, (800) 368-3595.
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