The National Civil War Museum, located atop Harrisburg's highest point in Reservoir Park, holds collections of artifacts, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and other printed matter that exceed 24,000 items. Opened in February of 2001, the Museum stands with Harrisburg at the head of the Cumberland Valley; the pathway through which Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia invaded Pennsylvania. The Museum, said to be the largest in the world solely dedicated to the American Civil War, seeks to tell the whole story of the conflict from both Northern and Southern viewpoints. Distinguished by stately columns and crowned with a 19th Century-styled cupola, the building features a magnificent central rotunda, 17 themed galleries, a gift shop, and generous ballroom for special events and functions.

Panorama by Jeb Stuart / Jackson Lattimore