2014 AASLH Award of Excellence Winner

benjim-color-compressed
Benjamin F. Buckner and his enslaved body servant, Jim. By artist Ray Reick

The Kentucky Historical Society’s HistoryMobile, “Torn Within and Threatened Without: Kentucky in the Civil War Era” is a traveling exhibit that brings the Civil War in full color to Kentucky K-12 students.

Not content with interpreting the Civil War in stiffly posed black and white images, A KHS project team worked with graphic novel artist Ray Reick to develop a fully immersive museum experience. Students walk through a life-sized graphic novel and encounter eight main characters. In interactive displays, students are confronted with the impossible decisions of these eight diverse Kentuckians. More than a museum experience, too, the HistoryMobile has a suite of lesson plans scaled for all grade levels and Kentucky curricular standards.

Watch the HistoryMobile’s brief introductory video:

Watch Patrick and the HistoryMobile team discuss the development of the project:

Watch artist Ray Reick discuss the process of bringing the Civil War to life:

For more information on booking the HistoryMobile at your site, event, or school, visit the KHS website.