In Hillsborough in April 1865, more than 90,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman. It was the largest surrender in the war, effectively ending the Civil War in North and South Carolina as well as Georgia and Florida.

This month, the town of Hillsborough and the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough mark the 150th anniversary of that event with a month-long commemoration called “The War Ends at Home: Hillsborough 1865.”

It begins on Saturday, April 4: from 10-11 am, local historian Steve Peck will lead group tours of the Old Town Cemetery near the corner of N. Churton and W. Tryon Streets. The commemoration continues all month long: highlights include an ongoing exhibit about one-room schoolhouses at the Orange County Historical Museum; a lecture on former slave and Mary Todd Lincoln confidant (and Hillsborough native) Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly on April 29 – and “This Unfaltering Faith,” an exploration of the role of churches in Civil War Hillsborough, with events at several churches in town that date back to the era.

WCHL’s Aaron Keck spoke about “The War Ends at Home” with Alliance for Historic Hillsborough executive director Sarah DeGennaro and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church Rector Brooks Graebner.

For a full schedule of events, click here. The commemoration runs all through April, with some ongoing exhibitions continuing into May.