The Grand Army of the Republic Museum in Aurora is a memorial to area veterans of the Civil War. Funds to cover the construction costs — around $7,200 — were raised over 10 years by the Soldiers Monument Association and the Ladies Monument Association, which later became known as GAR Aurora, Post 20.
“The men and women who raised the money to build the GAR stated that they could either build a statue of a soldier and inscribe the names of the fallen, or they could create a building that could be used for science and learning,” said Rena Church, director and curator of the Aurora Public Art Commission and GAR Museum. “Being a group of progressive thinkers, they decided on the latter.”
Church said along with being the city’s first free library, GAR Hall, Post 20 was a memorial to the fallen and a gathering place for the living.
“It was a place where the men could spend time with those who had faced the horrors of war and possibly did not want to talk about their experiences with loved ones at home,” Church said.
The museum was closed in the mid 1990s because it needed structural repairs, and after a 15-year, $3.5-million restoration project, it reopened in 2016.
Along with restoring and stabilizing the building’s exterior, the project focused on exhibits for the main display, the Angel Room. There, visitors will find exhibits on the Civil War and the GAR, on the Aurora soldiers who took part in the battle and on what life was like in America after the Civil War.
The gallery is open each Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
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Jane Donahue is a freelance writer.
Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall and Museum
Building size: The building has two floors with the one main room, the Angel Room, on the main floor.
What’s in a name? The Grand Army of the Republic was a national organization that began in Decatur, Ill., and each local GAR hall added a post number, in this case Post 20.
Building age: Construction took place from 1877 to 1878.
Original use: The GAR was the first free library and meeting hall for Civil War veterans in Aurora.
Current use: The newly renovated hall is a museum. When the lower level is completed, it will be used for rotating military exhibits focusing on the Civil War and all the wars since then. It will also be available once again for meeting space for veterans.
Did you know? The GAR, Post 20 is a copy of a GAR hall in Foxborough, Mass. The Aurora hall is built with limestone that was quarried in Aurora, while the Foxborough hall is built with granite.
Size of the building: Two floors with the Angel Room on the main floor.
Genesis of the name of the building: The GAR was a national organization that began in Decatur, Ill., and each local GAR Hall added a post number, in this case Post 20.
Age of building Construction took place from 1877 to 1878.
Original use: The GAR was the first free library and meeting hall for Civil War veterans in Aurora.
Current use: The newly renovated hall is a museum. When the lower level is completed it will be used for rotating military exhibits about all wars since the Civil War. It will also be available once again for meeting space for veterans.
Did you know? The GAR, Post 20 is a copy of a GAR Hall in Foxborough, Mass. The Aurora hall is built with limestone that was quarried in Aurora, while the Foxborough hall is built with granite.