More Progress on the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum

     We’re still working hard on getting the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office ready to open!  The restoration work has been completed, and now we are working on finishing the welcome center, putting up the informational panels, displaying a few artifacts, and determining how the tours will proceed through the space.  So, earlier this week a group of the museum staff visited the space for a “practice tour.”  

We finally have an admissions desk – and who wouldn’t want to see Jake’s smiling face welcoming them to the museum?

Judy and Jake look on as Susan starts the tour in the Welcome Center, where visitors will first learn a little about Clara Barton and life in Washington D.C.

The architecture and various features of the building will be part of the tour as well.  On the third floor, where the Missing Soldiers Office was located, is an original bracket for a fire extinguisher.  The two holes would have held leather buckets filled with sand.

Here in Clara Barton’s Reception Room you can see the holes for the stovepipes and the lightwell windows.   

Though reproduction gas lamps are displayed in most of the rooms, one of the boarding rooms is equipped with an oil lamp.  The oil lamp would have predated the gas lamps. 

Several sections of wallpaper original to the building have been preserved behind Plexiglas.  Here in the space which housed the Missing Soldiers Office is one section which shows two of the different wallpapers that were used in the room.

     I hope you have enjoyed this little “sneak peek” into the progress toward opening Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office!  If you missed the last update on the restoration work you can see that here.  We are anticipating the museum’s grand opening in the next few months, so you shouldn’t be kept waiting for too much longer!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

A Few New Artifacts

     Sometimes instead of changing an entire exhibit, a few new items can be added.  This allows some of the artifacts to be rotated off display for a while.  It also gives our exhibits an “update” and allows our visitors to see new artifacts.   I’ve recently updated two of the exhibits at the NMCWM.  Let’s take a look at what’s on display now.

     Most of the new additions were added to the Nursing display.  Though my museum doesn’t have a large collection of artifacts associated with Civil War nurses, we are fortunate to be able to display the following items from the collection of Chris Foard.

 

Nurses did get breaks from their duties sometimes.  This is a three-day pass for three nurses, Miss Keen, Miss Kimbal, and Miss Morrison, from the Seminary Hospital on August 11, 1864.

 

Here is a stereograph card which pictures Dorothea L. Dix, who served as the Superintendent of Nurses during the Civil War.  The back of card is dated August 1865.  The twin images on stereograph cards allowed people to view images that appeared three-dimensional when the cards were seen through a hand-held viewer.

 

There were male nurses who served in the Civil War too.  The image on this Carte-de-Visite is identified on the back as male nurse, William E. Preston, Company I, 112th Illinois Infantry.

 

You might recognize the woman in this image!  Though Louisa May Alcott is most famous as an author, she was also a Civil War nurse.

 

This tintype shows an unidentified volunteer nurse who worked at the Armory Square Hospital in Washington D.C.  The image is dated May 1864. 

 

Nurse Debby Hughes is pictured in this Carte-de-Visite.  On the back of the case is a partial newspaper clipping which reads, "Death of an Army Nurse, Westchester, Pa, Monday Nov. 18.  Miss Debby Hughes, the Washington nurse, so badly injured by the recent railroad accident, died at noon to-day of tetanus."

 

This is an unidentified nurse from Portsmouth Grove Hospital.  The back of the image is simply labeled, “Nice Lady.”  I imagine this was written by one of her grateful patients. 

 

This is my personal favorite of the new artifacts on display  - a pencil drawing by Private William T. Peters, Company H, 36th New York Volunteers.  It depicts the interior of a hospital tent, and nurses at the U.S. Army Hospital at Portsmouth Grove, Rhode Island.  You can see that the artist (who was a patient there) included his unit’s designation on the haversack!

 

One additional item was added to the new Recruiting display as well.  You can see the white cap cover on the left side of the display.  This is called a havelock, and it covered the soldiers’ caps and necks to keep them cool and prevent sunstroke in hot weather.  The problem was that they didn’t work!  The men found that the havelocks actually made them feel hotter.  The havelocks were either discarded or put to other uses – as dish rags, coffee strainers, or even bandages.

 

     For a closer look at the havelock, click here.    

    So, that’s what’s new at the museum.  If you’re in area, come take a look!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Progress on the Missing Soldiers Office

     Just yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. to see some of the restoration work which has been done on the building which housed Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office.  My museum has been working with the owner of the building, the General Services Administration, to open the Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office Museum in this space.  There is still a lot of work to be done, but already there is visible progress!

 

Recently, a small Welcome Center was opened on the first floor of the building.  At the moment, it is open on weekdays. 

The space isn’t finished, so no artifacts can be displayed here yet.  There are some great informational panels and a video presentation on display though.

 

     The main part of the new museum will be located on the third floor of the building, where Clara Barton lived and worked.  A restoration crew is still hard at work preparing the space for visitors. 

Here’s a "before" look at the room which housed the Missing Soldiers Office.

 

Here you can see that the walls and ceiling have been restored, and the wood trim around the windows has been painted. 

 

Most of the interior doors looked like this one.

 

Here a conservator carefully removes the dirt and the top layer of finish from one of the doors.  You can see the lighter area at the bottom of the door that he has already cleaned.

 

While I was there, he uncovered the original number on the door!

 

Here’s a look at the hallway outside the Missing Soldiers Office doors, before any restoration.

 

The hallway is looking much better now, and a skylight has also been added.

 

This is Clara Barton’s living space before restoration.

 

Here is what her living space looks like now. 

 

At the moment, most of the walls are covered with white wallpaper liner.  Several of the original wallpaper patterns from these rooms have been reproduced and will be put on the walls.  There are some places where the original wallpaper is being preserved on the walls though.  These sections will be covered with Plexiglas so that they will be visible, but protected.

 

Another section being preserved shows a signature from a previous wallpaperer. It reads, “Papered by Andrew Frye, Apr. 29, 1898.”

 

It’s a bit hard to read through the liner paper, but the tradition of signing the walls before applying the wallpaper is being carried on by the current crew!

 

One reason I visited yesterday was to place this data logger in the space.  This little unit records hourly readings of the temperature and relative humidity.  This data will help me to better plan for how to exhibit the artifacts. 

 

     So, the Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office Museum is closer to being finished!  There isn’t an official opening date yet, but be on the lookout for an announcement sometime this fall.

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

A Hospital Ship Artifact

     The USS Red Rover was a side-wheel steamer originally used as a barracks ship by the Confederates.  She was captured by Union forces in 1862 and refitted, becoming the U.S. Navy’s first hospital ship. 

 

 

A photograph of the Red Rover from Naval History & Heritage at www.history.navy.mil.

  

 

     As a hospital ship, the Red Rover was equipped with an operating room, a separate galley for the patients, a steam boiler for the laundry, an elevator, and several bathrooms.  It even had window blinds to keep out the smoke and cinders.  The nurses on the Red Rover were from the Catholic order Sisters of the Holy Cross.  They were the first female nurses to serve on board a Navy ship.  

 

 

Illustrations of the Red Rover’s interior from “Harper's Weekly”, May 9, 1863.

 

 

     The Red Rover was used to care for and transport sick and wounded men, and to transport medical supplies for the remainder of the war.  She was decommissioned on November 17, 1865.  Over 2,400 patients had been admitted to this hospital ship.

     One artifact which was recovered from the Red Rover is a large mortar and pestle.  This would have been used to grind various substances used to make medicines for the patients on board.  The mortar is made of cast iron, and is quite heavy!  The pestle is made of brass and has decorative etchings along its length.

 

A mortar & pestle used on the hospital ship USS Red Rover.

 

     Until recently, this mortar & pestle were on display here at the NMCWM in our Naval Surgeons display.  Now they are being sent out on loan to the Kenosha Civil War Museum in Wisconsin.  If you are up that way, you should stop by and see them in person!

 

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, except where otherwise noted. 

 

 

 

Some Clara Barton Artifacts

A portrait of Clara Barton, Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, from the book Red Cross in Peace and War, written by Clara Barton.

     One of the advantages of letting people know about your museum projects is that some generous people will donate items for the project!  Since it was announced that the National Museum of Civil War Medicine was partnering with the General Services Administration to open the Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office Museum, we have received a few donations which relate to Clara Barton.  Let’s take a look at these recent acquisitions now.

     The first one we received was a book titled, Red Cross in Peace and War, which was written by Clara Barton and published in 1899.  It contains accounts of her work after the Civil War with the Red Cross, as well as many black & white photos and illustrations of the places where she worked.

 

 

The book shows some wear but is in reasonably good condition.  Notice that Clara’s signature is reproduced on the cover!

 

     Next we received a photograph which included Clara Barton.

 

 

This photo is of the graduating class of the Philadelphia School of Nursing, taken in June 1903.  The woman in the dark dress in the front row is Miss Clara Barton, at age 82.  She was the commencement speaker and Honorary President for this class of nurses.

  

 

When the photo is enlarged you can actually recognize Clara Barton!

 

 

     We then received a group of three documents which pertain directly to the Missing Soldiers Office.  Two of the documents are letters concerning a soldier named Thomas Jefferson Payntar of the 4^th NY Cavalry, who was declared missing in action after the Battle of Travilian Station in Virginia in July of 1864.  The letters were written after the battle by his commanding officer and one of his comrades.  His commander was able to tell Mrs. Payntar about the last time he saw Thomas, “… just before dark I saw him mount his horse and take his place in the ranks, like the good soldier he always proved himself to be.”  He speculated that Thomas had been wounded and taken prisoner, but that was all the information he was able to give her. 

     The other letter actually mentions Clara Barton’s Roll of Missing Soldiers, which she posted in newspapers in an effort to find the missing men or discover their fates.  [The letter is copied using the writer’s own grammar and spelling.]

Muncy Station, Pa., Aug. 4th/66

Mrs. Thomas J. Payntar,

     On looking over the Rolls of missing men that Clara Barton has published I came across the name of my comrad Thos. J. Payntar and feel it my duty for his sake to inform you as near as I can the place and time I last seen him.  It was at Travillian Station, Va. on the 11th of June 1864.  The Regt was ordered to fight (on foot) and every fourth man hold his own horse and three others and it fell to him to hold the horses.  I was riding by his side and gave him my horse to hold.  That was the last time I seen him.  We were over powered and forced to fall back on our Horses and when we found them they were all scattered through others.  I could see nothing of mine although I sucseeded in gettin one and made my escape.  His horse was found in the Regt the next day. 

     Thos. J. was returned as missing in action.  I thought he was taken Prisnor, but if he has not been heard of yet it is likely he was killed.  Alass did I say killed?  It makes my heart bleed when I think of the noble dead that has fallen by the hands of tratars in Rebellion.

     I think I have written all that will be of interest to you and hope you will excuse the liberty I have taken.

Respectfully,

W.H. McCowan, late Sergt. Co. E, 4 NY Cav.

P.S. Pleas answer

 

     The third document is the reply from Clara Barton which Mrs. Payntar received after sending a letter to the “Office of Correspondence with the Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army” regarding her husband.  Due to the high volume of requests which the Office received, Clara sent out forms like the one pictured below:

 

 

This document, dated July 17, 1865, was sent to Mrs. Payntar to confirm that her letter had been received, and to let her know that her husband’s name would be placed on the Roll of Missing Soldiers.

 

 

     Clara Barton was not able to find Thomas J. Payntar, but by 1867 she had responded to over 63,000 letters and had identified the fates of about 22,000 men.  Though undoubtedly she had to report that many of the men had been killed, it had to have provided some closure for the grieving families.  Artifacts such as these will certainly help to tell the story of Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office Museum when it opens!

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Please Touch the Exhibits!

     Most times, museum visitors expect to be reminded NOT to touch the items in the exhibits.  In fact, many exhibits are designed so that the items on display are protected from being handled.  Artifacts are generally displayed inside cases, or placed behind barriers.  However, there are some exhibits and displays which are meant to be hands-on for the visitors.  Of course, these displays don’t contain artifacts, but they are still effective in educating the museum’s visitors, especially the younger ones!  Let’s take a look at some of these displays in my museum.

 

The Discovery Stations at the NMCWM were designed with school children in mind, but we notice that adults like them too! This one provides an opportunity to identify some human bones. Don’t worry, these bones are reproductions! They are attached to the display with weighted ropes so that they remain in their proper positions, but so that visitors can pick them up to get a closer look.

 

 

 

The answer and some additional information can be discovered by opening the door below each bone.

 

 

Another type of hands-on display follows a Civil War soldier through the letters he wrote home. This is just the first of several displays located in the museum which follow the war experiences of Peleg Bradford as he served, and was wounded, in the war. Visitors can flip through reproductions of the letters he wrote home and read about what happened to him.

 

 



In our Camp Life gallery, visitors can read cards which describe some of the drugs used during the Civil War. A similar display nearby has cards about some of the diseases commonly seen in the camps.

 

 

This display panel introduces visitors to several Civil War surgeons. More information about each surgeon can be seen behind the doors.

 

Behind this door it reads, “Surgeon William Proby Young, Jr., of Middletown, Maryland, first enlisted as a private in the 116th Virginia. After his one year enlistment ended, he appeared before the C.S. A. Army Medical Examining Board and received a commission as an assistant surgeon. Dr. Young was wounded during the Antietam Campaign of 1862, but returned to Virginia with his regiment. On June 9, 1863, he was promoted to Surgeon and transferred to hospital service.” Photo from A Band of Brothers, by Dan Hartzler.

 

 

Another Discovery Station involves information about the horses and mules used in the Civil War. Each bucket here has a question about the feeding of horses and mules on the lid, with the answer printed beneath the lid.

 

 

Do you think you know how much water a horse or mule would drink in a day?

 

 

Were you right?

 

 

It seems fitting to have a Discovery Station about children! There were more children who served in the Civil War than you might imagine.

 

 

Here is Private Robert Fryer of the 52nd New York, who was one of many underage boys who claimed to be 18 in order to enlist. Boys between the ages of 14 to 17 could sign on as musicians. Some unofficial drummer boys were as young as 9 years old. Many young soldiers, such as Private Fryer, were wounded or killed while serving with their regiments. You can see in this photo that he lost part of his hand. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

 

 

This panel allows visitors to learn the stories of some of the wounded soldiers.

 
 

Private Lewis Martin, Co. E, 29th United States Colored Troops, had his right arm and left foot amputated as a result of wounds sustained during the Battle of Petersburg, Virginia on July 30, 1864. This photo came from the National Archives.

 

 

We certainly couldn’t leave out the Civil War nurses!

 

 

Inspired by a plea for “ladies to go to the front to nurse the sick and wounded, “ Kate Cumming left her Mobile, AL, home to serve the Confederate soldiers. Her nursing career began in the hospitals of Corinth, MS, caring for the wounded from the two-day battle of Shiloh. Officially enrolled as a hospital matron, she served with distinction with the Medical Department of the Army of Tennessee throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia. Cumming was one of the nurses involved with Dr. Samuel Stout’s mobile hospital system during the Georgia campaign. After the war she published her journal describing her experiences with hospital life in the Confederacy. This photo is from her book, Gleanings from Southland.

 

 

Visitors can also read some of the wartime letters of another nurse, Clarissa Jones, in this display. Letters such as these give a deeper look into the feelings and experiences of the writer than an informational panel can.

 

     So, as you can see there are some times when it is acceptable to touch the exhibits!

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, except where otherwise noted.