PHOTO GALLERY: Civil War Display Brings Battle Home

Jim Brinks brought his collection of Civil War artifacts from home, telling a story of America's bloodiest war as well as a tale of his own family, to the Muskego Regency Thursday.

Brinks, a member of Muskego VFW Post 8171, said his interest in the war was a personal one, as a trunk full of items in his grandmother's attic revealed old pictures, flags, newspapers and dozens of other artifacts from his great grandfather, William Hendricks. He had served in the war first as a drummer in 1863, then joining up with the 70th Calvary in Illinois 1864. The drum was a part of the exhibit.

The interest in collecting grew from that point, but also from Brinks' childhood in Illinois, where he lived near a soldiers home and would go fishing with the retired soldiers there. Talking to Brinks is like opening a walking encyclopedia of military history, with a story for every piece he had on display.