Community Corner
Hidden Gems of North-Central Connecticut
This series highlights wonderful places in Hartford and Tolland counties which may be virtually unknown, or a tad off the beaten path.
VERNON, CT — Our latest installment of a periodic series on Patch sites in north-central Connecticut highlighting "hidden gems" throughout the region features a march back in time to a place where Civil War veterans once met and a sprint into the present to a museum that now houses artifacts from the great 1860s struggle.
The New England Civil War Museum and Research Center is located in a fully preserved Grand Army of the Republic hall on the second floor of the Vernon Town Hall complex. Its origins can be traced back to 1896 and the Civil War veterans who made up Rockville's Grand Army of the Republic Burpee Post No. 71, museum director Matthew Reardon said.
The vets sought "to perpetuate the memory of its dead for all time," he said.
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The collection features uniforms, a regimental Bible, weapons that were used in actual Civil War battles, portraits and several versions of the carte de visite, the 1800s version of the business card.
Extensive research materials are also housed at the museum.
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In 1993, the Rockville Sons of Union Veterans Camp, officially incorporated the New England Civil War Museum inside the former meeting rooms of Burpee Post No. 71. The museum has the honor and distinction of being one of the longest continuously used GAR Halls in the entire country.
(Chris Dehnel | Patch Staff)
The Vernon Town Hall and the museum are located at 14 Park Place in the Rockville section of town. The museum is open Sundays from noon to 3. Look for the "open" flag.
This series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.
Other recent columns in this series:
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