NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 1999
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Glenn A. Walsh - (412) 561-7876, <andrcarn@alphaclp.clpgh.org>
CIVIL WAR MUSEUM TOUR
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS THROUGH LABOR DAY
Carnegie, Pa., July 9 - Civil War guns, flags, uniforms, and other relics can be viewed by the public each Wednesday evening 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.(last tour begins at 7:30 p.m.), through Labor Day, at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie Borough. . A $1 donation is requested for adults to tour the Captain Thomas Espy Post of the Grand Army of the Republic(GAR), the Civil War Museum of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library; children, age 12 and under, are admitted for no charge.
Organized in December of 1879, the Captain Thomas Espy Post No. 153 was one of the many chapters of the GAR, the fraternal organization formed by veterans of the Civil War. These veterans brought many artifacts back with them from the Civil War. There was a concern, among Espy Post members, regarding what would happen to these artifacts after the last Civil War veteran died.
In January of 1906, the Board of Trustees of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library agreed to allow the Espy Post use of one of the new library building's rooms for their meetings and to store members' Civil War artifacts and other memorabilia. It was also agreed that "when the Post ceased to exist, the contents of the room would become the property of the Library to preserve and protect for all time."
The Captain Thomas Espy Post, still in its original condition, is considered the oldest surviving Civil War veterans' post in Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest in the country. You can learn more about the Espy Post at the Internet address <http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~jw3u/round/garroom.htm>. Call the Library with any further questions: (412) 276-3456.
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