Soldiers and Citizens: Local Stories of the Civil War
On View through October 29, 2011
To mark the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Peterborough Historical Society has opened a new exhibit, Soldiers and Citizens: Local Stories of the Civil War. Through archival photographs, diaries, letters and artifacts the exhibit looks at the impact of the war on the local area and the men and women who answered the nation’s call to service.
Nearly 1,000 men from the local area served in the Civil War leaving no family untouched by the nation’s bloodiest conflict. Through this local lens, the exhibit explores abolition and the Underground Railroad, recruiting, camp life, Soldiers Aid efforts, prisoners of war and battlefield experiences. Among the artifacts and stories on display are the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Osgood Hadley of Peterborough, a bible that saved Jonathan Felt’s life and the bullet that nearly killed him, a telescope used for battlefield communications, Daniel Gould’s Colt revolver and even 150 year-old hardtack.
The materials for the exhibit have been drawn from the Historical Society’s collection, the Hancock Historical Society and the Historical Society of Cheshire County. The exhibit will remain on view through October 29, 2011. Admission is $3 with free admission extended to PHS members and children under 12.