The G.A.R.(Grand Army of the Republic) was a post-Civil War veteran’s organization founded to provide support for soldiers and their families. Part of the Marblehead Museum’s collection, the G.A.R. Meeting Room, Marblehead Post #82, is the important historic feature of the second floor of the Old Town House.
It is an artifact in itself, existing exactly as it did when it was last used by the Marblehead G.A.R. The importance of this organization, which was the first to lobby for and receive benefits for veterans, is evident in the preservation of this time capsule of the Civil War era and its impact on the lives of solidiers and their loved ones.The outer room, or Civil War room, presents both Marblehead’s role in the Civil War and the broader struggle to maintain the Union. By using local history to illustrate national events the significance of the war in our nation’s history is made both personal and universal. Letters evoke the hardships of war for those on the battlefield and at home. Uniforms, weapons, and images are on display in the outer room.
Please visit http://www.marbleheadmuseum.org/ for a current seasonal schedule of open dates and times.