Mission Statement

The American Civil War Museum of Ohio satisfies our community's need for a unique educational museum by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the American Civil War and its impact on the current generation of American people.

American Civil War Museum of Ohio, Inc.

Collecting, preserving, and interpreting the American Civil War

The American Civil War Museum of Ohio is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) public charity.

All donations are tax deductible.

Museum Features

New Location Opening Fall 2010

in Tiffin, Ohio

The American Civil War Museum of Ohio (ACWMO) has been working for over fourteen months to relocate the museum in Tiffin, Ohio at 217 S. Washington Street. The “Cornerstone” building is a great building and will make a wonderful museum!

The museum offers over 10,000 sqft of exhibit and research facilities to engage the visitor. There are eight main exhibit areas within the museum with each area having its own educational learning center. These learning centers include digital audio listening centers, educational handouts and hands on activities (over 40). A Gift Shop, Visitor Lounge, Research Library, Theatre with 20 minute video on Ohio’s Role in the Civil War and large Presentation Room add to the list of things to do.

We have been able to triple the number of displays and have added several new exhibits including The Road to War, The War Begins, Leaders, The First Modern War and The War Ends. ACWMO will now tell a more complete story of the Civil War and be able to offer additional features for the comfort of our visitors.

Virtual Exhibit

217 S. Washington St.

Tiffin, OH 44883

EXHIBIT DESCRIPTIONS

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Virtual Exhibit