Civil War Museum Extends Hours For The Summer

VERNON, CT — The New England Civil War Museum and Research Center in Vernon will have extended hours during the summer.

The museum is now open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays through the summer. It is located inside a fully restored Grand Army of the Republic Hall in the second floor of Vernon Town Hall at 14 Park Place.

The extended hours are being added to the traditional schedule of every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 p.m., except major holidays.

The museum presents a real-life look at life during the Civil War from the battlefield to the home front and even during the years that followed at a venue in which veterans met after the struggle.

Displays include weaponry, maps, uniforms, campsites, art work and manuscripts, along with a regimental Bible.

One of the newer displays is a depiction of President Abraham Lincoln.

The museum also features a display on Col. Thomas Burpee, a Vernon resident and commander of the 21st Connecticut Volunteers. Burpee was fatally wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter at the Battle of Cold Harbor and died on June 9, 1864. A close look at the collection might just notice the actual bullet that led to Burpee giving the last full measure of devotion.

Click here to see more about the museum.