LYNN ― Wendy Joseph has been the curator for the Grand Army of the Republic Hall and Museum since February, and she said that her first project was updating each exhibit.
The museum had a facelift before its open house as part of the “Trails and Sails” historical event series happening throughout Essex County; the museum held an open house on Saturday, Sept. 25 and volunteers have been excited to point out the changes ― and the elements that have stayed the same.
Volunteer Larry Campbell told the story of the meeting room’s centerpiece, a capstan ― a multi-axle hauling device ― from the USS Kearsarge. The Kearsarge sank the CSS Alabama, a Confederate ship responsible for capturing, burning, or sinking 68 Union ships.
“The second most famous battle in the Civil War and we have it right there,” Campbell said. “There are a million stories in this place.”
Joseph stopped to look at a photo of Thomas Carson, a Lynner who survived the Civil War after a bullet shot at his chest was stopped by a button from his uniform. The bullet was removed, but the button remained embedded in his chest.
Carson was told by surgeons that they didn’t know if he would live another two weeks. Carson went on to live until he was 104 years old, becoming one of the oldest survivors of the Civil War.
“Every picture in here has those types of stories,” Joseph said.
Joseph said that she first discovered the museum 20 years ago when they were holding a blood drive. She said she instantly fell in love with the local history and wanted to help preserve it. She and her husband became members of the Friends of Grand Army of the Republic Hall and Museum, and the second she saw the curator position open, she decided to go for it.
The revamped museum had added larger text descriptions, zoomed in on different photographs so faces could be seen clearly, and had several different artifacts on loan from other museums displayed.
“I had to convince them to let go,” Joseph said about the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the fraternity who owns and runs the museum. “The best compliment I’ve gotten so far was from Dexter Bishop. He said ‘Us guys don’t like things to change. But now it’s looking like a real museum and itself.’”
Bishop is the president of the Civil War Round Table of Lynn and the North Shore, a group of independent organizations that promote the education of the Civil War. Bishop is also a member of the Sons of Union Veterans.
Drew Russo, the city’s director of personnel and the former Lynn Museum/LynnArts executive director, said that the updates really made the museum look amazing.
“Wendy’s done a great job,” Russo said. “Taking rich history and giving it new life isn’t easy to do.”
To donate to the GAR, visit its website. Donations by check can be mailed to 58 Andrew St., Lynn, MA, 01902.
Katelyn Sahagian can be reached at [email protected].
