c/o The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia PA 19107 215-732-6200 ext. 214, info@civilwarconsortium.org
Stephen Hague (Director, Stenton Historic Site/Historic Germatown Preserved), chair,
T/F:  215-329-7312, stephen.hague@stenton.org

About the Civil War History Consortium

The Civil War History Consortium (CWHC) is a group of 23 Philadelphia area institutions with sites, collections, and programs that relate to the Civil War era.

The Civil War History Consortium seeks to preserve, link, and promote the stories, collections, and sites that reveal the Philadelphia region's crucial role in the United States' search for liberty and unity during the Civil War era, providing meaningful and engaging heritage and educational experiences and stimulating community and economic development.

The Consortium's membership includes a wide spectrum of libraries, museums and historical sites across the Philadelphia region that have materials, objects, structures, and activities related to the period between the antecedents of the Civil War and its aftermath. These resources tell many stories of the abolition movement, the Underground Railroad, and the "home front" in the war effort, as well as providing critical context for the many subsequent societal changes leading to the Civil Rights movement.

CWHC's founding represents a long overdue recognition of the importance of the Philadelphia area's roles in the Civil War. The war was a turning point in American life, and Philadelphia was a pivotal force in the war's outcome. The region:

• Embodied the most potent symbols of Union freedom and nursed the genesis of a patriotic movement that led to the establishment of 700 Union Leagues across the country;
• Was in many senses capital of the free black population in North America;
• Served as a cradle of abolition sentiment and, later, as a principal hub of the Underground Railroad;
• Propelled the war machine as the nation's industrial and transportation center and a major port;
• Was chief navy yard, ship building center, arsenal, and training center for African American troops as well as provider of over 100,000 men to the armed forces-20,000 of whom never came home;
• Fueled the war effort through its major financial institutions; and
• Cared for more sick and wounded through its medical institutions than anywhere else.

Conflict raged here in other important ways, as the region had deep connections through marriage and money to the South. The stories are deep and complex and tell of the profound ways that the Civil War affected every American life. Much of the material and intellectual heritage that reveals this story remains extant in CWHC member collections and historic sites throughout the region. [View member profiles -- Adobe Acrobat format]

The Consortium's initial survey and assessment efforts have included a survey of collecting institutions in 2002-03, funded by the Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust, and a site and marketing assessment program funded by the Heritage Philadelphia Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts (2005-06). The surveys results in the identification of a rich array of collections and of historical sites -- more than 600 with Civil War connections, of which 200 remain in existence, and of which close to 50 are ready or close to ready to interpet their Civil War heritage -- as well as 35 organizations involved in education and public programs on the topic. The survey has also revealed an audience eager to explore the Philadelphia area's Civil War era stories, particularly those that speak to the continued working out of important constitutional issues and the ongoing struggles for freedom and equality among many segments of our population.

The Consortium holds this overarching vision:

By the year 2014, the Philadelphia Region will be known as the history capital of the United States, drawing additional millions of international, national, and local visitors to compelling exhibits and experiences. Only in Philadelphia will visitors be able to experience the full story of the birth and rebirth of freedom from the founding of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War and the Constitution, on to the Civil War and its legacy, through the Civil Rights Movement. Students and tourists will be connected with critical, contemporary issues through Civil War-related programming. Living history presentations, trails, tours, and exhibitions will be thought provoking and exciting. Visitors will move seamlessly from the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum to historic sites, libraries, and other museums that together explore the unfolding of the founding principles of the United States.

Moving forward from the initial survey, the CWHC will achieve its vision through:

• Ongoing assessment of the market and assets available for a Civil War-themed tourism effort, including ways to link and develop sites, exhibitions, and programs on a coordinated, prioritized basis.
  
  
• Continued research to uncover additional Civil War-related assets and the stories and themes available for use in presentation and interpretation of the region's Civil War-related history.
  
  
• Development of programs to encourage scholarly attention to the region's Civil War history and heritage.
  
  
• A program to educate key stakeholders about the value and potential of Philadelphia's Civil War heritage. Stakeholders will include consortium members and colleague institutions, tourism officials, tourism providers, community development and civic organizations, funders, government officials, educators, the media.

Steering Committee

• Stephen Hague, Stenton/Historic GermantownPreserved, chair
• Joseph C. Certaine, Governor's Southeast Pennsylvania Office/U.S. Colored Troop
• V. Chapman-Smith, National Archives & Records Administration
• Derick Dreher, Rosenbach Museum & Library
• Mary Hagy, The Union League of Philadelphia
• John Seitter, South Jersey Tourism Corporation
• James Bennett Straw, Abraham Lincoln Foundation