August 30, 2011 - The United States Mint and National Park Service invited the public to attend the release of the “America the Beautiful Quarter^®” honoring Mississippi and Vicksburg on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, at Vicksburg National Military Park.

The Vicksburg coin, to be distributed nationally, features the U.S.S. Cairo on its obverse, and is the ninth coin released in this series dedicated to America’s most scenic and historic places. Vicksburg was chosen by the Mississippi Legislature to represent the state, and the image of the U.S.S. Cairo was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. Depiction of this historic icon on the quarter emphasizes the crucial importance of control of the Mississippi River to both the Union and the Confederate armies during the American Civil War, the contributions of the U.S. Navy in the Vicksburg Campaign, and Vicksburg’s role as the ultimate turning point of the war. The U.S.S. Cairo, a U.S. Navy (Union) ironclad river gunboat, was sunk by Confederates in the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg on December 12, 1862. She was raised on December 12, 1964 and is on permanent display, along with all artifacts salvaged, at Vicksburg National Military Park. 

The ceremonial release of the coin was this morning at the U.S.S. Cairo Exhibit and Museum in the park. A coin exchange followed the dedication ceremony where visitors exchanged cash for the newly minted coin. 

More information on the event is available online at: www.nps.gov/vick, and you can learn more about the “America the Beautiful Quarter^®” series, including coin and launch events at www.americathebeautifulquarters.gov