Wars

Allison-Antrim Museum has been honored to receive into its care, the collection of the former Greencastle Civil War Roundtable. The Roundtable was established in September 1971 and was active until 1995. The active membership roster included Isabelle Barnes, Bonnie Bingaman, Lil Colletta, William Conrad, Glen Cump, Viola Ervin, Rev. Ralph Geiman, and Harold Roland. During their 24 years of meeting together and collecting they amassed a sizeable collection of rare and important Civil War artifacts, textiles, and archives relative to Greencastle-Antrim and surrounding areas, as well as other items of historical value to Greencastle-Antrim.

A small portion of the extensive collection includes the following: Lt. Col. Benjamin F. Winger’s Civil War dress coat, sash, kepi, saber, haversack, hand-carved wooden comb, lice comb, straight razor, and a brass USA rosette for the horse’s bridle, Winger’s signed copy of the Organization of the Army of the Potomac, the small U.S. flag from the Center Square reviewing stand when the 126th Regiment returned home in 1863, high-rag content Philadelphia Inquirer newspapers from April 15 – 28, 1865 chronicling the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the ensuing events, original Civil War letters of Samuel North, Capt. Robert Boyd’s original copy of the History of the 126th,125 dry glass slide negatives of the G-A area that were taken by George Frederick and G. Fred Zeigler, books that belonged to Ambassador Henry P. Fletcher, numerous WWII uniforms of Greencastle-Antrim veterans, an original copy of the History of Franklin County, and Charles “King” Lear’s manuscript for a book about the World Series. 

WWI – The Great War & Greencastle-Antrim Doughboys Exhibition

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. becoming involved in the Great War, Allison-Antrim Museum’s fall (2018) exhibition, from its collections, includes uniform items from seven native sons who fought in WWI, and eight others for whom the museum has photographs. They include James H. Craig Sr, Wilbur Robert Craig, William Henry "Harry" Gillan, Walter Binkley, Arthur James Fair, Duffield Winger Varden (grandson of Civil War veteran Lt Col Ben Franklin Winger), and Dr. Thomas Gilland, and Frank L. Carbaugh, Thomas Atherton, brothers Frank and George Diehl, Carter Warren “Moses” Rankin, John Amos Acker, Neill Brumbaugh, and Harold E. Pentz.  WWI recruiting posters, trench art, souvenirs, Prussian helmets, rifle bayonets, a slide show of WWI photographs from France and Germany, and much more is included in the exhibition, which opens September 6, 2017. 

The collection features uniforms, personal items, and memorabilia which belonged to Greencastle-Antrim men and women, all members of the Greatest Generation. The majority of the items are from the museum's collection but the display also includes uniforms from a private collection.

Many of the smaller items belonged to the late William C. Woller, which were collected during his tour of duty in Belgium. This is the first time the Woller collection, which is now part of the museum's WWII collection, has been exhibited. The premier piece in the collection is a cloth, full-color map which was issued to paratroopers. If by chance it got wet upon landing, it would not deteriorate like a paper map. Other items include the flight log books and flight stop watch used by LCDR Richard H. Gingrich. Memorabilia from the Home Front includes, among other things, Civil Defense handbooks and an armband, ration stamps, and a U.S. Bonds portfolio. November 2009 is also the first time in six years that the WWII uniforms from AAMI's collection have been exhibited. The servicemen and women, whose items are on display, are: Harold M. Zimmerman, Sr., Charles Fetterhoff, Sr., William Max Izer, Ramer Shrader, Richard Gingrich, Thomas Homer, Paul Harbaugh, and Lorraine Pensinger Phillips.