Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

[fatocat]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

As Phil mentioned, the Texas Civil War Museum has lots of uniforms, equipment, weapons and flags. I wasn't expecting much from its website so I was very surprised when I visited to see a lot of great stuff.

[rpierson]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Don't miss Tredegar Iron works in Richmond, VA! Museum is pretty solid, but the grounds are awesome.

-Randall Pierson

[Phil McBride]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

The thing I remember most after 2 visits to the Tredegar Museum was the collection of sapling flag staffs that were collected at the surrender of Lee's army.

Phil McBride
The Alamo Rifles

[4VADRUMMER]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

If you are going to be in Virginia I'd hit Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum in Winchester Virginia. They have more of Jackson's personal war items than any other museum in the world! Also they have a really nice original North Carolina shell Jacket and Turner Ashby's original saddle! These are just the highlights. Oh, they also have the 27th Virginia's Battleflag and a couple other original Battleflags. It's Unbelieveable the amount of stuff they have. While you are in the area hit the Daughters of the Confederacy museum in Front Royal Virgina. They have the second largest collection of original Confederate artifacts in the world! Amazing stuff and WAY to much to mention! Though they have the best kept Tait Jacket I've ever seen! It actually retains all 8 of it's original floating shank Tait buttons!! Also you cannot pass up going to the Smithsonian Institute in DC and the National Museum of American History! You could spend a week in that place alone and the staff there has always been more than friendly at all of the above mentioned Museums. Hope this helps.

[4VADRUMMER]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Phil is right. They have most of the ANV's flag staffs at the Tredegar Iron Works Museum and I also noted that most of them were nothing more than Pine Tree saplings! I've been meaning to attach my Battleflag to a sapling!! However, if you are doing the MOC you must hit Tredegar! It's amazing to stand in the facility that produced so much for our Army in Virginia!

[Dispatch]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

If you are going to be in Virginia I'd hit Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum in Winchester Virginia. They have more of Jackson's personal war items than any other museum in the world! Also they have a really nice original North Carolina shell Jacket and Turner Ashby's original saddle! These are just the highlights. Oh, they also have the 27th Virginia's Battleflag and a couple other original Battleflags. It's Unbelieveable the amount of stuff they have. While you are in the area hit the Daughters of the Confederacy museum in Front Royal Virgina. They have the second largest collection of original Confederate artifacts in the world! Amazing stuff and WAY to much to mention! Though they have the best kept Tait Jacket I've ever seen! It actually retains all 8 of it's original floating shank Tait buttons!! Also you cannot pass up going to the Smithsonian Institute in DC and the National Museum of American History! You could spend a week in that place alone and the staff there has always been more than friendly at all of the above mentioned Museums. Hope this helps.

Sweet! I will see about that.

[Pennvolunteer]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Folks have mentioned the Atlanta History Center and I have to agree it is a great collection for their Civil War portion. Frankly I don't remember the Chickamauga visitor center and I've been there twice.

I am surprised no one has mentioned the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. They have a great collection as well, and if you are going to Gettysburg, it is only about 30 miles away; http://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/index_1.php

Also, if you go through Missouri, go to Wilson's Creek Battlefield near Springfield (and then the original Bass Pro) they have the Sweeny Museum. http://www.nps.gov/wicr/index.htm (before the end of the 150th in August, they are going to close that museum after that)

And while you're there in SW Missouri, Pea Ridge, AR is close and while it has a very small museum and visitor center, they just re-did it and it is a neat battlefield as it is like Antietam, still rural and remote and un-encroached.

Finally, I like the Manassas visitor Center exhibits if you can get by the urban sprawl and traffic to get there.

[Dispatch]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

What about way out west? Any their?

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Bang for the buck, you'll have a hard time beating the White Oak Museum east of Fredericksburg, VA. It's generally on the route between Gettysburg and Richmond.

On that same route, you'll find the under visited North Anna battlefield which is a gem. Nice walk in the woods. Great interpretative markers. Original works. Not many people out there.

Mark, We hit the firearm collection when we were back at Chickamauga/Chattanooga didn't we? That trip was such a whirlwind of information overload! Guess we need to go back again.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Suprised nobody mentioned the Carter House at Franklin.

[David Fox]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

Hey! What about MY museum in the old courthouse in Hendersonville, N.C? It's the biggest in the state west of Greensboro, and the best one in town east of Burger King.

[csuniforms]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

HEY! If your ever in Wisconisn-- The new Kenosha Civil War Museum, Kenosha, Wisconsin is worth a stop over. Their artifact collection grows every day, but what I enjoyed is the special exibit area that houses collections from individuals or other Museums. They recently had a exhibit on the Sultana Disaster that was outstanding-- and for the ladies a special collection of original dresses and accessories was on display.
We have the Veterans Museum in Madison our capitol-- ground zero for the 150th, and the Milwaukee Museum has a fantastic CW collection of firearms and memrobilia. That is where Howie Madaus of Civil War flag fame got his start.
There are other local County Museums with CW collections that contain many personal items and souvenirs brought back home by the Veterans. The Hoard Museum in Fort Atkinson has a great collection including an original copy of Lee's surrender document signed by him!
I always had declusions that I would one day catalog all this stuff--- until I was able to get into the storage areas of some of these Museums and my chin hit the floor. IT IS TRUE that only a very small percentage of their collections are on display at any one time.... I would have to live to be 200 years old to see it all.
AND FOR YOU CONFEDERATES!! Lots of Confederate items are stored up North for safe keeping!! I cannot recall any jackets--but everything else yes!
CSuniforms
Tom Arliskas

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

What about way out west? Any their?

California Military History museum Sacramento, Ft Point and the Presidio in SF, Ft Tejon and Ft Drum down in LA, Ft Stevens in OR, and Ft Vancouver in WA to name a few.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

If you're interested in firearms, the Rock Island Arsenal Museum in the Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois on I-74) makes for an interesting stop. Two walls of the museum act as a display of every government-made military firearm produced, including experimental weapons. There are examples of every domestic weapon important to our era, my favorite being the experimental double-barreled Springfield. There are a number of captured artillery pieces from the Civil War, and you can also see some of the wrought iron fencing that the government made from all that excess ordinance after the war, and a nice exhibit on the prison. The Arsenal was the home of Rock Island Prison, and while nothing is left of the site, the Confederate cemetery is a solemn place to visit. The National Cemetery is the final resting place of General Rodman, and a sea coast gun of his design marks his grave.

[Dispatch]

Re: Biggest And Best Civil War Museums?

If you are going to be in Virginia I'd hit Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum in Winchester Virginia. They have more of Jackson's personal war items than any other museum in the world! Also they have a really nice original North Carolina shell Jacket and Turner Ashby's original saddle! These are just the highlights. Oh, they also have the 27th Virginia's Battleflag and a couple other original Battleflags. It's Unbelieveable the amount of stuff they have. While you are in the area hit the Daughters of the Confederacy museum in Front Royal Virgina. They have the second largest collection of original Confederate artifacts in the world! Amazing stuff and WAY to much to mention! Though they have the best kept Tait Jacket I've ever seen! It actually retains all 8 of it's original floating shank Tait buttons!! Also you cannot pass up going to the Smithsonian Institute in DC and the National Museum of American History! You could spend a week in that place alone and the staff there has always been more than friendly at all of the above mentioned Museums. Hope this helps.

Really? 2nd to the MOC in Richmond, VA? I hope yous realize, I am making a list of every one mention. I will try to hit every single one, if I can. We'll see.