Collections room tour!

                               This week was definitely very enjoyable for me here at the museum since I have a lot of different things going on right now.  I survived my weekend shift.  Hooray! The museum was VERY VERY busy on Saturday and a bit on Sunday but people told me that was to be expected.  It was nice seeing downtown a lot more active that it usually is.  Got to meet a lot of different people as well.  I did promise that I would write about my tour of the collections room that Lori the curator was giving me so let’s get to it.  It did indeed happen and I went through with some other staff.  It was very exciting to see all of the different things we have in that room since these are the artifacts not on display currently (for various reasons such as needing a break from being exhibited, too fragile or does not fit in a current exhibit theme).  The room is one large space with tons of enormous filing cabinets that go on average to about chest height or maybe a little more.  Some resembled closets as well because they were so tall and had swinging doors and on the far side of the room nearest the entrance was several large shelves that held the largest items.  Lori began the tour in the back room with artifacts that were hanging on the wall.  It included things like paintings, some framed documents and currency used during the war. 

                I knew beforehand that I would be interested in everything in this room but I did linger in a few places more than the others.  One was at the wall since I had never seen genuine money from the time before, only copies.  A small distance away and inside a cabinet Lori pulled out two documents that had been signed by President Lincoln and President Johnson.  I definitely became excited here since I have not seen an original document signed by Lincoln before.  Some in the group had before so they didn’t share my excitement  level but we all oo’d over the original still.  The document was in great condition and none of its color or ink had faded in the decades since it had been signed.  I am probably reading too much into it but it is great to “geek out” as Lori says because we all have things we are passionate over and I am glad that I can live out my passion here in the museum with others who share it.  Before my arrival here I didn’t know many people who would want to willingly stare at a piece of paper just because Lincoln signed it.

                We then saw the tall cabinets that were filled with books from the time about medical care and other related topics.  Books during the 19^th century had covers that were so much more colorful and detailed I think.   Lots of different colors and fonts on the covers with little designs or just plain and simple.  It was an impressive collection that in order to be preserved needs to be handled very little so I’ll just have to look for modern reprints if I want to read them.  Oh the life of a historian.  I want to touch it but in order to keep it for future generations I have to not. 

                Lori continued to open the short cabinets and pulled out artifacts such as the amputation kits, stethoscopes, bottles (which were sometimes very colorful depending on what kind of liquid had been inside) and the personal items of soldiers.  One very clever item we saw was a collapsible mirror used for shaving.  The glass had broken away from the wooden frame so the soldier had used wax to hold it in place and it was still there all this time later.  There was also a collapsible cup in the same drawer.  A favorite of everyone present though was when we got to the drawer that held some Clara Barton items.  Lori first pulled the original sign Barton had hung up to show the location of her Missing Soldiers Office. Many people are often surprised at how tiny the sign is and it is true, it is definitely small.  The paint has held up and the four small holes she put through it are still in good shape.  You can just see them in the picture.

The original sign Barton hung up.  On loan from U.S. General Services Administration.

            We have a small collection of firearms with the bullets in a box and so we viewed those as well.  While I did not handle the guns myself (which was fine by me), Lori did.  She held them up and showed us the detail along one of them which was a scene containing multiple ships sailing by.  I really liked that touch because I just feel like more craftsmanship was on items in the past and now it is all factory produced in a hurry and everything is the same.  This gun could have a duplicate somewhere but to me it seems like an original.  She said that the guns also felt very light and natural to hold unlike some modern guns which felt more cumbersome to her.  The box of bullets was also very small and old but again, was in fantastic condition considering how much time had elapsed since they were made. 

The two guns with holster and bullet box.

                There was also a rubberized tent cover that soldiers would connect to each other in order to stay dry in wet weather.  In most cases two soldiers would connect theirs together but Lori has heard of three being attached sometimes.  The condition of this item was great but it was carefully folded into a box and covered so we did not view it all spread out.  You can still see the words and the rubber actually so it was impressive to view this item.  It is on loan to us as the moment as is the Clara Barton items from the U.S. General Services Administration. 

The rubberized tent cover.  On loan from U.S. General Services Administration.

                I was silly and forgot my camera that day I did not take any pictures so credit to Sara for letting me use the ones she took.  There are several artifacts I do not have pictures that I was very excited to see.  The signed Lincoln document was the first one and then we have two coats, one Union and one Confederate very carefully covered and cared for.   These are among the first real coats I have seen (I have definitely seen some of the coats worn by medical personnel we have in our exhibits) and the condition was amazing! The colors were still bright with no discernable damage and I was only feet away.  The urge to feel them was intense but the historian in me knows better.  Don’t touch the artifacts! There were also boots owned by a surgeon and the nail head could be seen in the sole.  Cool stuff!

                There were also collapsible chairs used in the camps, a number of stretchers and even a dentist chair that had two attachments (the table for holding tools and a frame that would have held the bowl to be spit into).  One of the very last things we looked at was the mummified hand.  Lori carefully removed it so that we could look at it and I saw that part of the palm had some kind of wound (tendons and other internal parts were visible) and that it was broken off near the elbow.  Lori said that testing had been done on the arm and it was determined that the limb was shot off, not amputated.  The limb had likely belonged to a young, white male around 17 years old.  It  had been found at the Antietam battlefield not too far from here.  On the 31^st this month the limb will be displayed as part of our special Halloween tour.  I think people will like to see it because hey, who wouldn’t want to meet (part of ) a Civil War veteran in the (mummified) flesh? Any laughs? Oh well, I laughed. 

                Well, I’ll see you all later with more news from the museum.