In 1958 my father gave me a pair of World War II Bombardier Wings. He was preparing to go to a Chicago Bears Football game wearing his B-3 Jacket and a pair of fleece flight boots to combat the cold of Chicago instead of the cold at 25,000 feet. The Wings came right out of a pocket in his jacket before he and his cronies headed for the game.

 This simple gesture transformed everything for me from then on. I treasured those wings. I still have them 48 years later and a few more along the way. Imagine my shock and awe when I found such items were for sale from time to time.

When I was older, my Aunt passed away. She was the oldest member of the family and the repository of all the family antiquities and heirlooms. Everything passed to her daughter. Later, I was given the opportunity to examine these curiosities. In a large manila envelope, I came across my Uncle Ted’s letters to home with some photos from training Camp and France. They were great. His World War I Victory Medal, replete with battle bars, was there as well.  Then I came across an image of a soldier (CDV) in an ancient uniform in an incredibly posed posture. It was marked on the back “Captain” with my surname. A little more digging produced an obituary. He was a Lieutenant in the 3^rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and had reenlisted again late in the war, this time, as a Captain in the 187^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. I was riveted. I wanted to know more. My Dad told me, he was his grandfather’s brother and fought for Lincoln after settling in Ohio from Ireland. The Captain died young due the mistreatment he had suffered as a prisoner at the hands of the Confederacy. He was a highly regarded member of the family. My Great Grandfather named his first son after him. My grandfather named a son after him. It is my middle name.

That was it for me. I was enthralled. I was hooked. This was no longer just dry history pages and dusty objects. These were real, living, breathing men  who had reached out and touched my life from all those years ago with their stories, images and saved possessions handed down from generation to generation. The uniforms belonged to real men. The insignia identified real men. The images are of real men.

Ever since then, I have been delving into the rich time frame of the Civil War.  The website is the culmination of amassing curios and relics for over 40 years from that period that I have enjoyed.

They are presented here for you to view.

I hope you find them interesting too!

Warmest personal regards,

 The Curator