Not far from Louisville, Kentucky, the quaint town of Bardstown commemorates the American Civil War era with museums and re-created buildings.
By Kathleen Byrne
November 2021
Bardstown, Kentucky, is known for many things: “My Old Kentucky Home,” bourbon, and good old-fashioned Southern charm, to name a few. Historic Museum Row should be added to that list.
Located just two blocks from the heart of downtown Bardstown, Museum Row is a collection of four venues highlighting the growth and struggles of both the United States and individual citizens under incredible duress.
At the Civil War Museum Of The Western Theater, artillery helps paint the wartime picture.
Start at the Civil War Museum Of The Western Theater, where tickets are purchased. Since the late 1970s, this building of more than 8,000 square feet has housed one of the nation’s largest and most authentic museums detailing the country’s devastating conflict west of the Appalachian Mountains to Mississippi and into the South (Western Theater).
Artifacts are numerous; some larger and obvious highlights include a bronze 3-pound Navy howitzer, a 3-inch Union ordinance rifle (accurate for more than a mile) used at the Battle of Atlanta, Navy boats (of both river and saltwater battles), cannons, and glassed-in replicas of typical camps and hospital surgical suites. On display are John Hunt Morgan’s cavalry flag and equipment, and Confederate Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman’s sword.
The museum displays soldiers’ personal items.
More humbling are the dozens of personal items left by hundreds of foot soldiers, long forgotten and gone: clothing, Bibles, flasks, packs, and walls with fragments of heartfelt letters regarding their surroundings and situations. These simple objects tell a larger story of dedication to a leader or a cause, and incredible bravery.
One section of the museum is devoted to the politics of the time. Billboards highlight notorious abolitionists; great compromisers such as Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster; the infamous Lincoln-Douglas debates; civil strife in the Kansas territory; slavery; the attack on Fort Sumter; and the inaugurations of the day.
The Civil War Museum presents an honest look at the politics and thought-provoking conditions of the 1860s. The views of both the North and South are examined; neither side is condemned, nor judged right or wrong.
In the gift shop is an extensive display of war and military-related books and movies, from the Civil War to present-day conflicts. Mugs, toys, jewelry, and more are also found.
Old Bardstown Village sits adjacent to the Civil War Museum Of The Western Theater. This is a great place to let energetic children run off steam while getting educated about early Kentucky life. Ten rough cabins collected from different parts of the state have been reassembled here, where they bring to life a typical settlement of the early 1800s.
This mural at Old Bardstown Village depicts a key tradesman of the time.
The blacksmith’s cabin holds bellows, ropes, hammers, and a large fire pit befitting a pioneer blacksmith. This small space radiates a sense of the hard work and toughness needed for the men in this profession.
The same is true of the wood-worker’s cabin. Here, a foot lathe, a woodworker’s bench with a wooden vise, and planing tools demonstrate the finesse and skill woodworkers possessed in finishing projects as complicated and large as a curved-backed chair or as small as a child’s toy.
Each of the cabins sketches some facet of early American life. They include the broom-maker’s place, a pub of the era, and a house of worship, as well as several typical family homes, one with a salting tub for meat preservation.
A lively stream with a gentle waterfall runs through the village, making both a scenic and lulling background.
The General Hal Moore Museum honors the venerated U.S. Army general.
One block north, up a steep portion of East Broadway, are the other two museums of Museum Row. The General Hal Moore Military Museum occupies the largest building, a place that began as Bardstown’s Opera House.
Hal Moore (1922-2017) was a Bardstown native who served in the United States Army for more than 30 years, earning a chest full of medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross. In the Korean War (1950-1953), he commanded a heavy mortar company.
During the Vietnam War, Moore became a household name and a national hero. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley, a several-day campaign in November 1965, found Moore leading the 1st Battalion, surrounded and outnumbered by the North Vietnamese Army.
Military branches are recognized, including the U.S. Navy.
Hal Moore’s 1992 book about that battle was made into the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers, with actor Mel Gibson playing Lt. Col. Moore.
The museum spotlights U.S. military conflicts, illustrated by this World War I mural.
The General Hal Moore Military Museum spotlights much more than his career. This museum centers on all wars the United States has participated in, beginning with the Revolutionary War to present-day conflicts. Featured prominently is the service of men and women from Kentucky. Many donated items from Kentucky families tell the stories of heroes from every corner of the state. Letters, uniforms, boots, posters, and endless photographs bring touching reminders of each war to the viewer. American Indian leaders are honored in this museum as well.
The Women’s Museum Of The Civil War remembers Loreta Velazquez and other women who posed as male soldiers.
Since 2018, the World War I exhibit has been updated and expanded to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that conflict’s end.
The Women’s Museum Of The Civil War, possibly the only museum of its kind in the United States, occupies two floors of one of the oldest brick homes in Bardstown, the Wright Talbott House, built circa 1840. The exhibit honoring courageous women is inspiring, uplifting, and powerful.
The Women’s Museum remembers battlefield nurse Susie King Taylor, who risked her life treating soldiers with smallpox.
The Civil War was devastating to anyone who lived in the country at that time. Women took charge of families, farms, businesses, and more. But some felt compelled to serve their country and the cause as well. Many women followed their husbands or brothers into battle to nurture them throughout the many conflicts.
Others, such as Clara Barton, served as battlefront nurses, changing the face and fate of the nursing profession. Before the Civil War, nursing was a male-dominated profession.
Susie King Taylor was another of these nursing angels. A Black woman, Taylor served with the 33rd U.S. Colored Regiment for the Union Army. Against orders, she entered smallpox tents and nursed sick and dying smallpox patients, refusing to worry about herself. The soldiers, regardless of color, were all that mattered.
This museum does not just chronicle nurses, however. Several women, one being Sarah Edmonds — or “Frank Thompson” — disguised themselves as men and served loyally through many years of battles.
Nurses are also commemorated in this mural.
Several turned spies. Such is the case of Elizabeth Van Lew and her freed slave, Mary Bowser. A friend of Jefferson Davis, but not supporting his views, Van Lew installed Bowser into the Davis household to spy on conversations, thus enabling the Union side with inside information.
The Women’s Museum Of The Civil War does not have many artifacts besides period clothing. However, its numerous wall hangings tell the tales of many women who changed both the tide of the war and the future of male-dominated professions, including nursing, espionage, writing and journalism, the arts, and so many more.
These are the stories of women of all faiths, colors, ages, and wealth who believed in a cause and put themselves and their families at great risk to serve. It is an inspiring and humbling museum. One we can all be proud of.
If You Go
Historic Museum Row
310 E. Broadway St.
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 349-0291
www.bardstownmuseumrow.org
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily March to October; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in November. Group tours may be arranged. A guided tour on DVD is available for purchase.
Admission (tickets are good for two days): Adults, $12; children ages 6 to 15, $6; active-duty military personnel receive a discount.
Visit Bardstown
1 Court Square
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-4877
www.visitbardstown.com
Area Camping
Little Patch Of Heaven
2289 Templin Ave.
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-6717
www.lilpatchcampground.com
My Old Kentucky Home State Park
501 E. Stephen Foster Road
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-3502
https://bit.ly/3u7ybJX
White Acres RV Park, C3477 *
3022 Boston Road
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-9677
www.whiteacrescampground.com
*FMCA Commercial Member