The Civil War may have ended in 1865, but people will be able to relive the past in Bowling Green at the Civil War Museum of Ohio.
Mark Young, president of the museum, relives the past by serving as president of the 3rd Arkansas Reenactment Group. Young wanted to create the museum because he felt many of the students the group performed for at schools were uninformed about the Civil War.
‘I saw a vast need for Civil War education. Kids aren’t taught enough. The war shifted our country into the position we are in now,’ Young said.
The museum opened Dec. 15 in an old church on 123 E. Court St.
The collection includes antiques from Young and other collectors. Young has been a collector of Civil War memorabilia for 20 years.
Some artifacts in the museum include firearms, swords, medical items, canteens, widower’s mourning dresses and letters from soldiers. There is a section with artifacts that deal directly with Ohio, as well as a POW section.
One thing Young wants visitors to learn about are Ohio’s contribution to the Civil War.
‘Most people don’t realize the role Ohio had in the war,’ Young said. ‘Ohio sent the third most troops from the north and lost more than 35,000 soldiers. There were also two major prison camps in Ohio – Camp Chase and Johnson’s Island. There was the Buffington Island Battle and the first congressional honor medal winners were from Ohio.’
Young wants the museum to serve as an educational resource for all kinds of students.
‘We want to try and be a premier site where college, high school and grade school students can come,’ Young said.
Scott Martin, associate professor of history, is interested in going to the museum and thinks the museum will help bring tourism to Bowling Green.
‘It should generate visitors to Bowling Green,’ Martin said. ‘If it generates scholars then it will add to the intellectual life of the community.’
Another history professor, Gary Hess, believes the museum will also serve as an educational resource to the community.
‘It seems like a pretty unique museum, it should help people learn more about the Civil War and Ohio’s involvement,’ Hess said.
