Our Legacy

The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia was chartered in 1888, but the Museum’s history and its collection had their beginnings as the Civil War ended in 1865. A group of Union officers in Philadelphia came together after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, fearing that the War might start again. When that concern was allayed, these officers served as the honor guard for President Lincoln’s body as it lay in state in Independence Hall. They soon determined that they could commemorate the sacrifices and service of Union officers by forming an organization, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States [MOLLUS].  With headquarters in Philadelphia, “commanderies” were established in the states that supported the Union during the War.

The collection was created mostly as a result of contributions of MOLLUS members, their families, and the leading citizens of the time. President Rutherford B. Hayes was the first President of what was then called the War Library and Museum. This provenance means that the personal stories as well as the war stories of these men can be told through the uniforms, diaries, weapons and other belongings in the collection. A bullet-struck pocket watch and bloody handkerchief tell as powerful a tale of the experience of battle as the rifle and bayonet; a scrapbook with a letter from home and a lock of hair as meaningful as a flag tattered by battle.

The Museum was housed at 18th and Pine Streets in Philadelphia from 1922 until 2008, when it closed in anticipation of building a new museum in Philadelphia. Since 2010 the collection has been cared for by the Gettysburg Foundation and stored at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, where artifacts are exhibited in the main galleries and in special exhibitions.

Philadelphia, often called the “southernmost Northern city”, had close economic and familial ties to the South and much of its wealth came from the textile industry and trade with the South. Philadelphians owned plantations and the largest slave holder in the country, Peirce Butler, was a leading citizen. Philadelphia played a key role in all aspects of the struggle that split our nation in two and threatened the Union and the values and beliefs that inspired it.

The Board of the Museum planned to build a new museum to house the collection in Philadelphia which, although not the scene of any battle, played a key role in the Civil War. Philadelphia was the second largest city in the country and was not only the place where the nation’s founding charters took shape, but also where the largest free black community in America established institutions and took a leadership role in the abolition movement; where over a $1 billion in bonds were sold to finance the Civil War; and where the issues of slavery and national unity were sharply focused in political dialogue, in the press, and on the streets.

After much consideration of changed circumstances in the region’s philanthropic environment, the Board of Governors determined that it needed to seek a new strategy that would ensure that the collection would be cared for in perpetuity at the highest standards and be accessible to the public. Rather than continuing to pursue the goal of building a new museum, a plan was developed and announced in May 2016 to transfer ownership of the three dimensional collection to the Gettysburg Foundation where it is part of the extraordinary collection in the Museum and Visitors Center in the iconic setting of the Gettysburg National Military Park. In addition, by establishing a partnership between the Gettysburg Foundation and the National Constitution Center, the Board ensured that a significant portion of the collection will be permanently exhibited in Philadelphia.  The CWMP's two dimensional collection consisting of letters, diaries, photographs, maps, sheet music, currency, books, periodicals and the archives of the CWMP is housed at the Union League in Philadelphia curated by staff of Founding Forward under a multi-year stewardship agreement.

History is measured in moments but made by people. And not just “great” people  but ordinary ones, who often accomplish extraordinary things and through their actions become agents of change. The collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia enables us today to encounter some of these individuals, be inspired by their experiences, and come away better informed with new and broader understandings of the Civil War and America in the 19th century.  

This is both the legacy and the challenge to Civil War Museum of Philadelphia and its partners as expressed in our mission "...to interpret the struggle for freedom, equality, and national unity in the mid-19th century; tell the story of the Civil War from the perspectives of the individuals who shaped it; and inspire a renewed dedication to the Nation's founding principles today."