Confederate Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana
The Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall, formerly known as Louisiana’s Confederate Museum, is a 120-year-old museum that tells the story of The War Between the States through the use of fascinating artifacts, documents, photographs, and more. Established in 1891 specifically as a repository for Civil War memorabilia, especially that which pertains to Louisiana, this museum is home to the second-largest collection of Confederate artifacts and memorabilia in the country and is the oldest continuously-operating museum in the state.
Most of the artifacts and other pieces of history at the museum were donated by veterans of the war and their families and about 90,000 war-related documents are housed on permanent loan at nearby Tulane University, all available for research purposes. Today, the museum is fully-funded through gifts, admissions, memberships, and gift shop sales.
There are many permanent exhibits at the Confederate Museum but organizers continue to add new exhibits to excite the general public and provide a different experience with each visit. Traveling exhibits are also sometimes showcased at the museum as well. Some permanent exhibits include artillery, infantry, and cavalry displays, the Jefferson Davis Collection, and the Louisiana Generals exhibit. There’s also an excellent New Orleans Photography exhibit, which features pictures by renowned photographers like Matthew Brady, and another fascinating display entitled Medicine in the Confederacy. Guests can also view fine art produced by some of the biggest names in Southern painting during the Civil War time period such as William Buck and Ellsworth Woodward. In addition, there are more than 125 original battle flags on display, uniforms of both common Confederate soldiers and Southern officers, rare guns, battle and presentation swords including some that are quite rare and famous, and at least 500 rare early photos including tintypes, daguerreotypes, and albumens.
Confederate Memorial Hall, the building in which the museum is located, is also a gem unto itself. The hall is open and continuous, providing for a wealth of display space. The walls are paneled with cypress and light is abundant. Outside, it is stately and grand. Today, it is overseen by two non-profit organizations that strive to maintain its integrity – The Memorial Hall Foundation and Memorial Hall Incorporated, which include descendants of many Civil War veterans.
The museum, unfortunately, was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, but after being closed for repairs and renovations has reopened. It was at the reopening that the name was changed to the Civil War Museum in order to attract a larger flock of visitors.
The Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall is open every Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am until 4 pm. Docents are on hand to offer insight as to the exhibits and are quite knowledgeable and entertaining. Kids who visit are provided with a scavenger hunt that will keep them busy and interested during their visit.
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