Vicksburg Civil War Museum

This was our first time to the Vicksburg Civil War Museum in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was a quote from the owner, Charles Pendleton, on his website that made me really want to stop by: "Our goal is not to educate you but to inspire you to become more educated." I love that mission and I really loved the journey we got to take during our visit.

While there are countless relics from the military side of the war, there is this other part of it that takes you on a thoughtful & impactful journey. A real sharecropper's cabin serves as a slave cabin here, and I won't give away what's inside because I want you to be as hit in the gut as I was when you hopefully go to visit.

This museum encourages everyone to think more deeply about parts of our history that shouldn't just be glossed over, and encourages meaningful conversation. Mr. Pendleton's passion in helping each visitor walk away wanting to learn more is felt throughout, and the man himself was even on hand for questions, comments, etc. He'll ask you some questions when you first come in, but don't be intimidated. There's no punishment for wrong answers. The big question is whether you'll leave thinking differently about your answers and feeling motivated to look into things that maybe you never thought of before. Hopefully, the answer is a positive one.

Also, do what we did & ask him why he's dedicated all his time towards this venture, because it shows what can happen when one person starts a honest journey to find answers to difficult questions. I left feeling inspired to learn more about a few concepts he introduced that I had not seen a lot about in all of my other historical site visits & research, and I plan on returning again in the future to see if there are any new things that hit me the second time around.

This is a must-see if you're ever in or near Vicksburg. I have yet to see anything else like it in all of my travels.