Display cases throughout the building contain artifacts, photographs and other items from America's wars, including recent conflicts in the Middle East. The museum contains 15,000 such pieces in its collection.
When memorial Hall opened in 1903, the first organization to meet in the Post Room was a local contingent of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the first and eventually the largest veterans organization of the Civil War veterans in the country.
Founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866, its peak membership exceeded 409,000 Union veterans, including five U.S. presidents.
This national organization established the pension system for veterans, funded homes and hospitals for soldiers, widows and orphans; and created Memorial Day to honor all deceased veterans.
--Old Secesh
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