Exhibits
American Civil War Museum of Ohio
Collecting, preserving, and interpreting the American Civil War
Our Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday
Noon - 4pm
After hours by appointment only!!
217 S. Washington
Tiffin, OH 44883
419-455-9551
The American Civil War Museum of Ohio is a nonprofit
501 (c) (3) public charity.
All donations are tax deductible.
The Road to War
The American Civil War was caused by several factors including political, monetary and moral issues. Some of these reasons date back to the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The Road to War exhibit features the main events that led to war between the states.
The War Begins
The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter is regarded as the opening of armed conflict between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. The attack led President Lincoln to call for 75,000 volunteers to serve for 90 days to suppress the southern rebellion. This 90 days led to more than 4 years of blood shed.
Life of a Soldier
The Civil War soldier had much more to worry about than just fighting battles. Unhealthy living conditions, poor quality food and bad medical care claimed many more lives than fighting against the enemy. Our Life of a Soldier exhibit examines the daily life of a soldier including rations, drilling, weapons, personal gear, camp life, organization and religion.
Andrew's raiders
An in depth look into who the men were that took part in the raid.
Leaders
The common soldier bore the brunt of hardships during the Civil War while the military and political leaders were mostly isolated from the rigors of war. The focus of this exhibit is to introduce both the military and political leaders whose decisions had so much impact on our nation.
The First Modern War
The American Civil War was the first “modern” war largely due to three emerging technologies, the rifled musket, railroad and the telegraph. Our exhibit explains the contribution that these technologies played during the Civil War.
Medicine
While surgeons and doctors did the best that they could to treat sick and wounded patients, the lack of knowledge in the area of medicine during the Civil War was continually against them. They knew nothing about germs or how they were spread nor did they realize that performing surgery on a dirty table with unsterilized medical equipment would infect the patient. It was not uncommon for a patient to undergo successful surgery only to die of infection while trying to recover. Our exhibit showcases medical equipment and medicine used by the Civil War surgeon in his attempt to save lives.
While in the Hands of the Enemy
Ignorance, coupled with shortages of food, shelter, and clothing, produced a cauldron of disease and death for inmates. While previous wars harbored similar prison conditions, the Civil War was unique in the sheer numbers of men confined. This exhibit examines the understudied issue of prisoners of war during the American Civil War.
Life at Home
Many civilians in both the northern and southern states suffered great hardships and personal loss during the Civil War. The residents of many cities and towns found themselves on the front line of the battle as large armies moved across the country. Our Life at home exhibit examines community volunteers, the draft, monetary hardships, the 1864 presidential election and the sanitary commission.
The War Ends
With the end of the Civil War came a time of healing and reconstruction. Our exhibit examines the patriotic organizations formed as the nation began the task of healing and rebuilding.
Ohio Leads A Nation
A look into the Ohio leaders surrounding the Civil War. A traveling exibit from The Hayes Presidential Center.
Other Areas:
- Available for group presentation or for private events. Call 419-455-9551) for more info.
- Research Library - Free for members and visitors to use, with hundreds of Civil War themed books.
- Theater - Showing the 20-minute documentary, "Ohio's Role in the Civil War," produced by the American Civil War Museum of Ohio.
- Lobby - A large and comfortable area with beverages.
