Civil War comes alive in unique
and colorful museum exhibit

Many flags were designed during the Civil War, depicting battles and platoons. Here, Ellis Byrd (center) holds the Union Fort Sumter Flag, JoAnn Caspar holds the Missouri Battle Flag and Dick Ellis holds a Confederate Flag representing the battle of Bunker Hill.

Ellis Byrd, a resident of Clayton (by way of Swinton, England and then London, Ohio), is a modern-day Indiana Jones. His resume will show that he is a graphic artist and the author of three non-fiction books, currently working on his fourth. But his “other” resume is a little more adventuresome. While he hasn’t been part of any wild car chases or jumping out of planes or trains (that he admits to), Byrd has made it his business, over the past 30 years, to collect and immerse himself in the rich and important history of the Civil War.

Byrd relocated from Swinton to Ohio in 1986. He was 20 years old, looking for work and a future. His collection serendipitously began a year later while working on a residential construction project. The owners, as a small token of their appreciation, gave Byrd a Civil War bullet that was found on their property, and hence, his collection, began.

A generous portion of Byrd’s private Civil War memorabilia will be on display at the Clayton Museum opening Friday, Feb. 12 and continues through July, 2016. This is the first time Byrd has shared his collection publicly.

“I’m so happy to share and display a portion of my collection, or else it would just be wrapped up, sitting in boxes,” Byrd says. His collection consists of all sorts of wonderful finds, from Confederate uniform buttons, emblems and several bullets, to a Union Bayonet from Pennsylvania. He says that some of his finds are items he has purchased from auctions, but most he has actually dug up from historical locations. I’m not a professional digger, but when visiting a historical site, which was usually a private field or residential backyard, I always asked for permission to see what might be hidden.”

Byrd’s Civil War collection grew steady while living in Ohio. He traveled quite a bit from his home base in search of historical finds. Sometimes his research required him to drive several hours to a site where railroad tracks existed at one point that have long been removed; or a residential backyard where a small, but important, skirmish took place. “The big battlefields that are well known are indeed interesting, but smaller, lesser-known locations are equally fascinating as the outcome of these skirmishes had a major impact on our country’s history.”

Byrd also has a handful of priceless items like a strand of Abraham Lincoln’s hair, a piece of the wallpaper from the Petersen House where Lincoln died after he was shot the night before at Ford’s Theatre, as well as a recent gift from his wife Jennifer, a piece of blood-stained fabric from the dress that Abraham’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was wearing the night he was shot.

Many pieces within Byrd’s collection have been declared authentic by the U.S. Government.

The collection will be kept within his family, and shared with his three children, Daniel, Amanda and Corlis.

Currently, Byrd is intrigued with the personal and emotional aspects of the Civil War — letters that were written by Generals and soldiers sharing personal accounts of their day-to-day activities, as well as the music from this time period, a somewhat unofficial soundtrack of this era. Perhaps some of these might grace a future exhibit.

Byrd’s books can be found online at www.Lulu.com and www.Amazon.com. The Clayton Museum is located at 6101 Main St. in Clayton. Call 925-672-0240 for more information.