Onlookers gathered outside the encampment to watch the ceremony on the front lawn, including one woman who shaded herself with a black lace parasol. Silver canteens clinked against the legs of men holding pipes.

As the Reverend A. D. Blackwood began to pray that the war end would swiftly and justly, a cell phone rang.

Minus the 21st century intrusion, and the digital cameras snapping pictures, it looked like 1861.

The Civil War reenactment by the Cedar Fork Rifles Preservation Society on Saturday commemorated the town's role in the conflict 150 years ago and added a theatrical aspect to the opening of the Morrisville History Center.

The event depicted the presentation of the flag from the Ladies of Cedar Fork to the North Carolina Grays in Morrisville before they left to fight for the Confederacy in the war.

The history center, located in Town Hall, features cases of Civil War artifacts, historical displays and timelines describing the town's history. The center also includes a room where visitors can watch two documentaries by local historian Ernest Dollar: "Jeremiah's Dream: The Story of Morrisville," and "Twilight of Sabers."

The latter is dedicated to the skirmish that occurred in Morrisville on April 13, 1865. A column of Union cavalry chased the southern army as it retreated from Raleigh. The Union shelled the town as a rebel train tried to flee with supplies and wounded soldiers. Days after the fighting, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered at Bennett Place outside Durham, the largest in the war's history.

"North Carolina has so much richness in culture, in heritage, in geography," said Donald Scott, 64, who portrayed the reverend in the reenactment. "When you see the whole story packaged in one location, (it) makes you proud that you're a Tar Heel."

Educating the town about its role in the Civil War was a main goal of the history center, said Jerry Allen, the town's parks director.

"I can't tell you how many people said they had no idea that all this was going on," he said. "They hadn't heard any of this before."

The town paid $22,400 to construct the history center and $18,300 for the videos, town officials said.

Morrisville Planning Director Ben Hitchings said there were only 250 Morrisville residents in 1980. Now there are more than 18,000.

"We both wanted to honor the history of the long-standing residents and also connect the newcomers to this place that they've chosen for their home," Hitchings said.

The commemoration of the town's history is part of a larger effort to enhance the community's future, he said. Another video in the history center, "Creating a Town Center: The Future of Morrisville," describes the town's plans for a Main Street.