History of the Memorial Hall
The Memorial Building was finished and dedicated in May of 1890. Originally, the proposal from the town of Vernon was to construct a building as a monument to all those local citizens who served honorably for the Union cause. This building was to be made of wood, at a cost of $45,000.00, and was to be built on the site of the First Church of Rockville (the hall's present site, now the Vernon Town Hall).
The plans were sent to referendum, since Vernon residents would be responsible for financing the memorial's construction. The people of Vernon turned down the proposal, not because of the expense, but because the building would be made of wood and was subject to fire.
The monument committee then submitted a proposal for a building made of sandstone and brick at a cost of $65,000.00. The people of Vernon accepted this plan and the contractor was hired. The cornerstone was laid on Memorial Day in 1889 and the building was finished for use in September of 1890. Over one million bricks were used along with many sandstone blocks. One worker died during the construction, falling to his death.
Over the archway of the main entrance of the building are ornate carvings of muskets, drums, flags, and other insignias of military history. On the second floor, the beautiful hall and its adjoining outer rooms were given to the Burpee Post #71 of the Grand Army of the Republic, while the rest of the building housed town offices.
Today the building still houses many town offices and departments. The Burpee Post is gone, passing into history, but the hall is now owned and taken care of by the Alden Skinner Camp #45 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. They were sanctioned by the Burpee Post in May of 1890 and have resided in the hall since September of that year.
The New England Civil War Museum was established in March of 1994. It is housed in the Memorial Building. The hall is comprised of the Grand Hall, an outer room and a kitchen. This GAR hall is still fully intact with all of its relics (the most identified collection in Connecticut), including prints, paintings, lithographs, photos, and original papers. The museum has a wonderful collection of Civil War items and is an outstanding repository of information relating to the Grand Army.
Some of the museum's most prized items are the Hirst brothers' collection (14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), the Thomas F. Burpee collection (colonel, 21st Connecticut Volunteer Infantry), and the Weston collection (musician, 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry). There are also numerous items of other veterans given to the post.
Regarding the GAR, we have all of the membership applications and historians' reports from Burpee Post #71. The museum also houses the complete set of National headquarters and Departmental General Orders, post minutes, burial books, description books, and rosters of many Connecticut and some New England posts. General Orders were sent out by the National and State headquarters to GAR Posts to update them on pension matters, deaths of prominent GAR members and changes in policies. The New England Civil War Museum is also the repository for the Department of Connecticut, the Sons of Union Veterans, the Women's Relief Corps, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), the Sons' Auxilary, and their respective histories.
The museum and library along with the hall and its rooms are the property of the Alden Skinner Camp #45 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.