The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw is planning a $1.1 million expansion to its research center.

Museum officials say the museum will be home to one of the largest centers for researchers, scholars and historians studying Southern railroads. The museum plans to break ground soon on the 15,000-square-foot expansion.

The museum's archives include more than 45,000 rare railroad photographs and thousands of Southern Railway-related documents.

Executive Director Richard Banz says the museum is fortunate that its collection of documents, letters and artifacts has expanded at the rate it has and says the expansion will result in a "world-class facility that will serve as a permanent place to preserve, interpret and, most importantly, make these important artifacts accessible to researchers."

Tags: Kennesaw, Civil War, Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History