New England Civil War Museum
Encyclopedia
The New England Civil War Museum was established in March 1994. It is housed in the Memorial Building, a former Grand Army of the Republic
(GAR) Hall in Rockville, Connecticut
. Its collection includes prints, paintings, lithographs, photos, and original papers. The museum has a large collection of Civil War items and the O'Connell-Chapman Library. In addition to material about the Civil War, it holds records related to the Grand Army of the Republic
, made up of Union veterans.
, the museum encompasses the Hirst brothers' collection (14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), the Thomas F. Burpee collection (colonel, 21st Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), and the Weston collection (musician, 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry). There are also numerous items of other veterans which have been given to the post.
The Museum contains the O'Connell-Chapman Library, which has over 1000 volumes of Civil War literature, in addition to original copies of the 128 volumes of The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. This was compiled by the US War Department and originally published from 1880-1901. The Library also owns original Civil War map books and several photographs.
The building has the Grand Hall, an outer room, and a kitchen. The museum and library, along with the hall and its rooms, are the property of the Alden Skinner Camp #45 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
. Recently, the Museum acquired part of its original property from the town of Vernon. Once owned by the GAR, the property was annexed by the town. The Ross S. Dent Reading Room has been returned to the Museum.
The Memorial Hall is also used for meetings by the Connecticut Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
(MOLLUS).
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
(GAR) Hall in Rockville, Connecticut
Rockville, Connecticut
Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,708 at the 2000 census...
. Its collection includes prints, paintings, lithographs, photos, and original papers. The museum has a large collection of Civil War items and the O'Connell-Chapman Library. In addition to material about the Civil War, it holds records related to the Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
, made up of Union veterans.
Holdings and history
Founded in 1994 by the Alden Skinner Camp #45 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil WarSons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is an American fraternal organization, the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic . Founded in late 1881, it was originally one of several competing organizations of descendants of Union veterans...
, the museum encompasses the Hirst brothers' collection (14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), the Thomas F. Burpee collection (colonel, 21st Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), and the Weston collection (musician, 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry). There are also numerous items of other veterans which have been given to the post.
The Museum contains the O'Connell-Chapman Library, which has over 1000 volumes of Civil War literature, in addition to original copies of the 128 volumes of The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. This was compiled by the US War Department and originally published from 1880-1901. The Library also owns original Civil War map books and several photographs.
The building has the Grand Hall, an outer room, and a kitchen. The museum and library, along with the hall and its rooms, are the property of the Alden Skinner Camp #45 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is an American fraternal organization, the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic . Founded in late 1881, it was originally one of several competing organizations of descendants of Union veterans...
. Recently, the Museum acquired part of its original property from the town of Vernon. Once owned by the GAR, the property was annexed by the town. The Ross S. Dent Reading Room has been returned to the Museum.
The Memorial Hall is also used for meetings by the Connecticut Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...
(MOLLUS).
See also
- Grand Army of the Republic HallGrand Army of the Republic HallGrand Army of the Republic Hall, GAR Building, or variants thereof, may refer to:-Illinois:*Grand Army of the Republic Hall *Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall Grand Army of the Republic Hall, GAR Building, or variants thereof, may refer to:-Illinois:*Grand Army of the Republic Hall (Aurora,...
(disambiguation, listing of halls in numerous places) - National Civil War MuseumNational Civil War MuseumThe National Civil War Museum, located at One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a permanent, nonprofit educational institution created to promote the preservation of material culture and sources of information that are directly relevant to the American Civil War of...
External links
- "New England Civil War Museum", Official Website
- The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Making of America, Cornell University Digital Collection