by Rick Blaine

Created on: October 22, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

In the years following the Civil War, soldiers from the Union army seeking to preserve their sense of camaraderie, commemorate their service, and organize for the rights of veterans, formed the Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR. This fraternal organization was open only to veterans, and was organized very much like a military unit. There were statewide "departments" and local "posts." The GAR became politically active, campaigning for candidates of Lincoln's Republican party, establishing what became the national Memorial Day holiday, and founding the Old Soldiers Homes that would eventually become the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

In towns across New England and other northern states, GAR meeting halls were built. One of those was in Vernon, Connecticut, where over a million bricks were used to construct the Memorial Hall in 1890. The local GAR post held its meetings in the grand second floor meeting room hall decades. Because the GAR membership was limited to Civil War veterans, however, the group was doomed to extinction. The last GAR member in America died in 1956, and the national organization's collections of documents and historical artifacts were donated to museums - including the Smithsonian Institution.

The Connecticut post of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War inherited the legacy of the GAR, and has maintained the hall and its historic collections ever since. Today, they form the basis of the New England Civil War Museum, which is housed in the GAR Memorial Hall in Vernon, Connecticut. The museum's entrance archway still displays the original carvings of flags, eagles, muskets and drums. The second-floor windows are the original ornate stained-glass tributes to the GAR and its military campaigns.

The museum's exhibits include the personal collections of several New England veterans. Col. Thomas Burpee of the 21st Connecticut Volunteers was killed at Cold Harbor in 1864. The local GAR post was named in his memory. Many of Burpee's belongings - including his sword and sash, his belt and holster, even the bullet that ended his life - are on display. A trio of Connecticut Civil War soldiers - Benjamin, John and Joseph Hirst - donated their personal items to the museum, including pistols, belts and cartridge boxes. More importantly, some 167 letters home by the brothers are preserved in the museum's collection. The Hirst letters tell the story of the everyday lives of Union soldiers, in camp and in battle.

The New England Civil War Museum is also home to the O'Connell/Chapman Histroical Library, which includes many rare books, maps, photograph and documents. One striking highlight of the collection is the diary of Oscar Gassett of the 56th Massachusetts Volunteers, which chronicles the details of his 1864 internment at the notorious Andersonville Prison.

The New England Civil War Museum is located at 14 Park Place in Vernon, Connecticut in the GAR Memorial Hall. It is open on the first Thursday evening of each month, as well as the second and fourth Sunday afternoons. It is also open to groups by appointment. There is no admission charge, though donations are accepted.

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