New exhibit brings Civil War history closer to home ; The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk humanizes the stories behind its collection of artifacts.

JEN FISH Staff Writer
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
11-05-2004
New exhibit brings Civil War history closer to home ; The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk humanizes the stories behind its collection of artifacts.
Byline: JEN FISH Staff Writer
Edition: Final
Section: Local & State
Memo: KENNEBUNK'S CIVIL WAR PAST GETS A NEW LIFE To celebrate the new display of Civil War artifacts, the Brick Store Museum at 117 Main St. will have extended hours on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Civil War re-enactors from the Third Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry will be on hand to talk about the war and other programs, including a theatrical firing demonstration. The event is free; admission to the museum is by donation. For more information, call 985-4802. ON THE INTERNET CIVIL WAR RECORDS at the Maine State Archives: www.state.me.us/sos/arc/archives/military/civilwar/ civilwar.htm THE THIRD MAINE Regiment Volunteer Infantry: www.thirdmaine.org

KENNEBUNK --

Maine does not have any great Civil War battlefields to visit but the state had a great presence in the war, sending more than 70,000 men to the conflict between 1861-1865. During that turbulent time, Kennebunk sent 168 of its own sons to the war. Now a new exhibit at the Brick Store Museum celebrates their involvement.

The collection is gathered from the museum's own holdings and a recent donation from Kennebunk resident Dorothy Emery Parsons Christopher. Museum curators hope the collection will put a more human face on history.
Many of the soldiers who fought in the war still have descendants living in the area.

For example, Christopher's ancestors include Benjamin Franklin Emery, who fought in the 8th Maine Regiment. If the name is familiar, it may be because many people in York County receive their heating oil from B.F. Emery in Kennebunk.

"A lot of people studied the Civil War in high school," said Kathryn Hussey, registrar and collections manager at the museum. "This gives it more substance, it makes it more immediate."

The museum already had many Civil War artifacts, but has not put them together before. Assistant Archivist Kathy Ostrander said the Internet has helped bring forward the stories to match the faces on photographs and names carved on the backs of old pistols and other items.

"We wanted to really humanize (the war) with people's stories," she said.

Christopher's donation was an unexpected surprise, said executive director Tracy Baetz.

"She heard about the display and called out of the blue," Baetz said. "We were floored, to say the least."

Kennebunk's soldiers were mostly in the Union Army's infantry regiments. Museum workers are trying to find more artifacts relating to locals who served in the Navy.

One of the highlights of the exhibit is a pistol and sword that belonged to Seth Bryant, an infantry captain who later became the clerk of customs for the Kennebunks. The sword has been in the museum's possession for some time, but the pistol is a recent acquisition, Baetz said.

Other war veterans with ties to Kennebunk include Capt. Horace Burbank, who married a Kennebunk ship captain's daughter. After returning from the war, Burbank rose to be a prominent judge in Saco.

Burbank's story involves a famous controversy surrounding the awarding of the Medal of Honor. Burbank was a member of the 27th Maine Regiment, a military band. During the war, the regiment was asked to put down their instruments to help protect Washington, D.C, said Ostrander.

Of the more than 800 members of the regiment, about 300 stayed four days past their enlistment to help protect the capital, including Burbank and Isaac Emery, brother of Benjamin. For their service, they and the others were awarded the Medal of Honor. But so were the 500 or so men who did not stay, thanks to a bureaucratic mistake.

Col. Mark Wentworth, recognizing the mistake, only gave medals to the men who stayed to defend the city and hid the rest of the medals in his barn. They have never been found.

Burbank's medal is one of the artifacts on display at the Brick Store Museum, as well as some of his other belongings. The museum also has letters from Isaac Emery's wife, begging her husband not to stay in Washington, D.C.

The museum will unveil the exhibit to the public on Saturday, celebrating the occasion with war re-enactors from the Third Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature events such as a firing demonstration and other programs.

Staff Writer Jen Fish can be contacted at 282-8229 or at:

jfish@pressherald.com

Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Staff photos by Gregory Rec This tunic worn by Lt. Col.
Clarence Corning is part of the Civil War items exhibit. Corning
served in New York, but his descendents settled in the Kennebunk
area. Staff photo by Gregory Rec Capt. Seth Bryant's name and
hometown were engraved on his pistol.

Copyright 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.