News

New Exhibit Focuses on Civil War Women

4/17/09

When men marched off to the Civil War, they left behind their wives, mothers, and sisters to tend to farms and businesses, while also running households and plantations, raising children, and ministering to the wounded.

Now, visitors to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History can get a sense of what life was like for the women left behind during the country's most turbulent times through several recently acquired artifacts and dresses on display in the Museum's Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War collection.

“We have a lot of items on display illustrating what life was like for Civil War soldiers, now the Museum is interpreting women's history in this time period as well,” explained Museum Assistant Curator and Registrar Ava Wilkey. “The war really impacted women, both socially and economically. They took on new roles while the men were away.”

The new display includes a woman's day dress and a child's dress that might have been worn by girls or boys. “Boys wore dresses until they were about two years old during that time period,” Wilkey said. “This child's dress came from a plantation in Louisiana. We think more than one child wore it because we noticed it had been repaired in several places.”

The two dresses were donated to the Southern Museum by Maryland collector Heather Hook. This along with items on loan complete the display.

In addition to the dresses, the display includes some more unusual artifacts such as a mourning brooch that includes the hair of the deceased loved one. “Our brooch is enamel with gold, and the hair is inside, but some people would send the hair off to a company to create a necklace or other jewelry out of the hair itself,” Wilkey explained.

An egg-shaped wax holder that women used to wax thread to make sewing easier and an old-fashioned curling iron also give a glimpse into how women of the Civil War era lived.

A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms, and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about The Great Locomotive Chase, including a short movie and the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. For more information, visit www.southernmuseum.org or call (770) 427-2117.