The G.A.R. & Civil War Museum, located on the second floor of Marblehead’s Old Town House will be open to the public on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, from 10 am – 2 pm.
The G.A.R. was a post-Civil War veteran’s organization founded to provide support for soldiers and their families. Â Marblehead’s G.A.R. Room is preserved exactly as it was when the last meeting was held in the 1930s, and is one of the few remaining meeting rooms in the United States. The importance of the organization, which was the first to lobby for and receive benefits for veterans, is evident in the preservation of this time capsule of the Civil War era and its impact on the lives of soldiers and their loved ones. Letters evoke the hardships of war for those on the battlefield and at home. Uniforms, weapons, and images are on display in the outer room.
The G.A.R. room is maintained by the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society, and is open to the public on Memorial Day, July 4th, during the Christmas Walk and by appointment. Â Additional summer openings will be announced soon. For more information, please call the Marblehead Museum at 781-631-1768.
The Marblehead Museum & Historical Society is supported by membership dues and contributions.  The offices, research archives, exhibition galleries and J.O.J. Frost Folk Art Gallery at 170 Washington St. are open year round from Tuesday-Friday 10-4, and Saturdays following the Lee Mansion seasonal schedule. The Lee Mansion is open Tuesday- Saturday 10-4, June through October, and Christmas Walk weekend. Visit the museum and gift shop on the web at www.marbleheadmuseum.org. Memberships and donations may now be made online through the Museum’s website.