The Carnegie Free Library opened its doors to the St Philip 8th grade welcoming them to its Civil War Room. This area is a collection of artifacts from the Captain Thomas Espy Post 153 of the Grand Army of the Republic.  The students also visited the Lincoln Gallery, a collection of 100 photographs of the president ranging from 1847 to his death in 1865.

Civil War re-enactors were on hand to display the dress uniform and armament of the common Union solider as well as assisting students in conducting family history research to find relatives who served in the Civil War.

Finally, the students were able to study the various flags used by both sides of the conflict and design their own battle flags for a contest sponsored by the Carnegie Free Library . The field trip was the culmination of nearly a month of studying the Civil War and its impact upon the United States both politically and socially.