History Center and Osher Lifelong Learning Institue Host Civil War Class

From shipwrecked blockade runners to weekend Civil War re-enactors, a new course at the Tampa Bay History Center unlocks Florida’s Civil War past.

Tampa Bay History Center, together with USF’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, will present Civil War: Selections, Collections and Conversations, a new four-week course covering Florida’s role in the Civil War beginning Jan. 19.

The course is presented in conjunction with the History Center’s newest exhibition, Blue and Gray in Tampa Bay: The Civil War on Florida’s Gulf Coast opening at the Tampa Bay History Center on Jan. 10.

Drawing on a wide range of experts, Selections, Collections and Conversations will hone in on Florida’s often-overlooked Civil War legacy. USF historian John Belohlavek will lead a tour of the History Center’s new exhibition while Jeff Moats of the Florida Public Archaeology Network will discuss his work uncovering Civil War-era shipwrecks along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The course will also touch on women’s roles during the War, the African American experience, and modern-day Civil War re-enactors.

The four-week class will be held at the Tampa Bay History Center on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Jan. 19 through Feb. 9. Course fee is $40.00. Pre-registration is required and seating is limited. Register online, or contact the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at (813) 974-2403.

Blue and Gray in Tampa Bay is on exhibit through June 2011 in the History Center’s Wayne Thomas Gallery. For more information about the exhibition and related programming, visit our website or call (813) 228-0097.