Following the Civil War, Union soldiers formed a veterans’ organization known as the Grand Army of the Republic, GAR. The group became incredibly powerful in state and national politics, and this was definitely the case in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin G.A.R. wanted to ensure that future generations would remember their service and sacrifices, and so they worked to have it written into law. In 1901, state statute established the G.A.R. Memorial Hall, a museum dedicated to preserving the memory of Wisconsin’s role in the Civil War. It was to be located in the Capitol building and operated by members of the Wisconsin G.A.R. 

The core of G.A.R. Memorial Hall collection was the Civil War battle flags carried by Wisconsin troops throughout the war. When a fire broke out in the Capitol in February 1904, local residents bravely raced into the burning building to rescue the flags. The building was destroyed, but within a year of the new (and current) Capitol opening in 1917, G.A.R. Memorial Hall was rededicated. Generations of Wisconsin residents toured the Hall and marveled at the precious artifacts from the Civil War. 

As the last Civil War veterans began passing away, Spanish-American War veterans took over care of G.A.R. Memorial Hall. Following World War II, the newly created Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs operated the museum. The collection grew to include objects from Wisconsin veterans of subsequent conflicts. In 1972, G.A.R. Memorial Hall was renamed the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to reflect the broader focus, and a little more than 20 years after that, the museum moved to its current location on Mifflin Street. While G.A.R. Memorial Hall doesn’t exist any longer, its battle flags and other objects, and the stories of Wisconsin veterans live on at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. 

G.A.R. Memorial Hall Collection. Wisconsin Veterans Museum.