National Civil War Museum - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - American History Museum

The National Civil War Museum is situated at One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and provides visitors an insight in to the American Civil War. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm except Sundays when it opens from 12pm to 5pm. It remains closed at Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Incorporating in excess of 24,000 artifacts, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and other printed matter, the museumencompasses the period from 1850 through 1876, with collections varying widely in scope. The pre-War period has artifacts that encompass various contentious issues such as slavery. There are also exhibits from the post war period, which reflect the impact of the war on western expansion.

However, the primary focus of the museum is on the war years of 1861 to 1865 with items from military and civilian venues of the conflict. There has been a concerted effort by the museum to obtain items that relate to specific personnel from the war, and in particular some of the major players from that time. The military artifacts depict every aspect of the soldiers' experiences including personal equipment and weapons used in the war, to wounds, diseases, prisoner-of-war experiences, and what emotional effects the conflict had on the people involved.

With so many items at the museum's disposal, the 4,400 three dimensional artifacts and 21,000 archival pieces are often rotated with some items not always on display. Some of the famous names whose artifacts can be seen here include General Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln, who was American President at the time of the Civil War and delivered his famous address at nearby Gettysburg in 1863. However, there are also many important materials held from ordinary soldiers from both sides of the conflict.

Tours are self guided but should start on the second floor of two following a chronological order of events in history, and can take anything from two to four hours. However, for group tours and in particular school visits, the museum will strive to help make the visit educational as they provide guidance for teachers on how to develop a lesson plan and how best to plan the visit. Free on-site parking for school and tour buses is available, and people using wheel chairs or motorized scooters will find the museum is fully accesible with elevators in all public areas.

The museum can also be hired for weddings, meetings and other special events. The grand staircase in the rotunda and hilltop location above the skyline of Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River provides a picturesque setting for weddings and banquets. Staff members at the museum are on hand to provide planning assistance for such events. Sophisticated private meeting quarters and memorial like grounds are ideal for corporate events and meetings too.

Visitors can purchase souvenirs from the museum shop on the first floor. Educational material is sold here including books, tapes and Civil War prints from several notable artists. There are also items of clothing and other collectibles, which are all Civil War themed.