State Officials and Civil War Trust to Launch New Smartphone Tour of Fredericksburg Battlefield

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, May 4, 2011, officials from the Civil War Trust, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development and Tourism will gather to launch an exciting smartphone-based mobile tour of the Fredericksburg battlefield.  Using GPS technology and Apple's iPhone platform, the Fredericksburg "Battle App" will help tourists locate and learn about historic sites using audio, video and animated content.

The Battle App offers four individual tours that take visitors to well-known sites currently protected by the National Park Service, as well as lesser-known battlefield locations in downtown Fredericksburg and elsewhere.  In addition to multimedia content, users also have easy access to full orders of battle, chronologies, fact sheets and even a quiz.

The Fredericksburg Battle App was developed by the Civil War Trust and its technology partner NeoTreks, with the support of the Virginia Department of Transportation.  The news conference unveiling this exciting new method of exploring the Fredericksburg battlefield will be held in the Mary Washington Room of the Courtyard Fredericksburg Historic District Hotel at 10 a.m. on Wednesday May 4, 2011.  The product will be demonstrated at the event.  

WHO: Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton, Speaker of the House of Delegates Bill Howell, Fredericksburg Director of Economic Development and Tourism Director Karen Hedelt, Civil War Trust President James Lighthizer and NeoTreks president Michael Bullock

WHAT: News conference launching new smartphone tour of Fredericksburg Battlefield

WHEN: May 4, 2011 at 10 a.m. ET

WHERE: Courtyard Fredericksburg Historic District Hotel, 620 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Va.

The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States.  Its goal is to preserve our nation's endangered Civil War sites and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and heritage tourism.  To date, the Trust has preserved more than 30,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states, including nearly 16,000 acres in Virginia.  Please visit the Trust's website at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

SOURCE Civil War Trust