A New Spin on an Old Tradition
In September of 1862, the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment a.k.a. the “Rochester Racehorses” mustered in Monroe County, bolstering, training, and outfitting their regiment with new recruits at Camp Fitz-John Porter on the western bank of the Genesee River. Join us Memorial Day Weekend with a new spin on an old tradition.
140th NYVI, Army of the Potomac Encampment
Step into the ranks of the Federal Army as Village Square in the Historic Village becomes the camp of the 140th NYVI, Army of the Potomac. Meet guest interpreters who bring the experience of Civil War combatants to life through immersive, hands-on history.
See, touch, and learn about the gear New York State volunteers carried into battle with Civil War Era specialist, casting director, and costumer Guy Gane.
Explore the contrasting lives of Federal officers and enlisted men through engaging, first-person interpretation with living historians Chase Petro and Michael Courter.
Connect past and present as re-enactor and educator Jacob Bates examines how Civil War memory lives on today through film, photography, and social media.
Discover 19th-century medical treatment and the plant-based remedies used to care for Civil War soldiers. Explore how herbs and natural remedies helped treat wounds and illnesses in the field.
Step into the shoes of a professional soldier with Josh Smith. Thousands of volunteers from New York joined the fight, but it was the experience of long-serving, career soldiers that helped train, organize, and lead them. Learn what life was like for members of the U.S. standing army – before, during, and after the war.
Watch live weapon demonstrations (Friday afternoon and weekend days) showcasing Civil War-era muskets, rifles, and artillery in action.
From hardtack to haversacks, bayonets to battlefield command, experience the daily realities of soldiers who once marched under the Union flag. Perfect for families, history buffs, and curious minds of all ages.
Civil War Era Civilian Life
While soldiers marched to war, civilians on the home front played a vital role in sustaining the Union cause. Women, children, and townspeople supported troops through fundraising, crafting, writing, and organizing—transforming everyday skills into patriotic action.
Discover the art of Civil War letter writing with Bob Sullivan of Sullivan Press in the Post Office, where you’ll learn about 1860s paper ephemera and bookbinding. Take home your own period-style stationery and reproduction stamps.
Explore the fashion sense of young women in the Civil War era—wartime didn’t stop style, and even with shortages, many strove to keep up with the latest trends in dress and headwear.
Taste the flavors of wartime. Learn how families made do with rationed ingredients and experimented with substitutes, and discover the recipes from the Sanitary Commission Cookbook that helped feed soldiers and civilians alike.
Witness demonstrations of blacksmithing and coopering, two vital trades during the Civil War. Watch as artisans craft ironware, tools, and barrels—essential for supplying the army and keeping troops equipped.
Learn about mourning practices and the somber evolution of Memorial Day. From ritualized mourning attire to the establishment of Memorial Day itself, discover how the war’s high casualty rates influenced American mourning traditions and the commemoration of fallen soldiers.
Explore farming on the home front and discover how families worked the land to provide vital supplies. Learn about the importance of crop production, food preservation, and the critical role farming played in sustaining the war effort.
Step into the domestic side of the Civil War and meet the people who kept our troops strong.
Enslavement & Freedom in the Genesee Valley
“Many people don’t want to believe that the citizens of the southern states were willing to fight and die to preserve the morally repugnant institution of slavery. There has to be another reason, we are told. Well, there isn’t. The evidence is clear and overwhelming. Slavery was, by a wide margin, the single most important cause of the Civil War.” — Brigadier General Ty Seidule, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Before, during, and after the Civil War, slavery and its insidious impacts were present – and are still felt – in the Genesee Valley. GCV&M invites visitors to engage with our new Seeking Freedom Initiative, which illuminates the complex history of enslavement, resistance, and freedom in New York State.
Visit the Rochester House to explore new exhibit panels and engage with interpreters sharing stories of Black New Yorkers navigating life in a changing nation.
Take the “Toward Freedom and Fairness” walking tour on Saturday or Sunday at 1 p.m. (beginning at the Toll House) to learn about the fight for Black freedom and civil rights in our region.
Explore the “Our Local History” mapping exhibit, which reveals where and how Black residents lived, worked, and shaped their communities in Western New York.
Attend stirring performances by historian and actor David Shakes, portraying Frederick Douglass at the Village Square Stage (or Brooks Grove Church in inclement weather).
Learn about the anti-slavery movement in Western New York, including the advocacy and resilience of Harriet Jacobs, author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and her brother John S. Jacobs, both of whom had ties to the Rochester area and the abolitionist cause.
Visitors are invited to reflect on how the legacies of slavery, resistance, and Black leadership have shaped—and continue to shape—life in our community.
Hands-on History
Step into the past with engaging activities that invite visitors of all ages to see, touch, and try history for themselves!
Pose for a likeness and take home a vintage portrait ($) with historic photographer Ben Rosiek. Tintype – or ferrotype – photography was an integral part of documenting the American Civil War. Invented in the 1850s, this method of photography boomed in the 1860s as photographers travelled with their cameras to battlefields, taking photographs of soldiers for them to send home to loved ones.
Spell your name in Morse code at the Telegraph Office, where visitors can visualize their names using dots and dashes—and explore how rapid communication transformed the war.
Try military drills, where young visitors can march, maneuver, and simulate the loading and firing of wooden muskets, just as Civil War soldiers did.
Borderland Blacks lecture
Sunday, May 25 | 1 p.m.
Join us for an in-person lecture and Q&A with dann j. Broyld, Associate Professor of African American History at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, as he presents fascinating stories from his book Borderland Blacks: Two Cities in the Niagara Region during the Final Decades of Slavery (purchase copy here)
Dr. Broyld will take us on a journey through the powerful experiences of Black Communities during the Civil War era living along the U.S.-Canada Border.
Taste the Revolution
Saturday and Sunday, step back in time and purchase your own historic sweet treats at the D.B. Munger Confectionery, and visit Hosmer’s Inn for fresh hand pies, homemade shrub, and more.
Does the past make you hungry? The Depot Restaurant is open every day 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (grill closes at 3 p.m.) with meat and veggie burgers, fries, wraps, craft beer, wine, and cider, and a full menu of options. Weekend days, grab a pint in the Freight House and sip with friends on our patio!
Old Timey Casting, LLC
Muster at Mumford: Civil War in the Genesee Valley is presented in partnership with Old Timey Casting, LLC. A tailor, reenactor, and entrepreneur, as far back as he can remember, Guy William Gane III always wanted to be a Civil War soldier in the movies.
Guy has gravitated toward the American Civil War since early childhood. In 1989, he joined a Reenactment unit local to Western New York, and eventually participated as a soldier in 1997. In 1999, he was asked to join the Reenactor cast for a small film, and that’s where he caught the film-bug.
Learn more about Old Timey Casting, LLC, and Old Timey Rags.
Ticket Information
Museum Members | FREE
Adults: $16 online | $17 onsite
Seniors 62+ and Students 13-18: $14 online | $15 onsite
Youth (4 – 12): $10 online | $11 onsite
3 and under | FREE
GCV&M Member admission is FREE and guaranteed for this weekend. Click here to learn more about joining the Museum as a Member!
FAQs
Parking is free and plentiful! Park in any of the main lots at the front of the Museum. Please leave the first two bays available for handicapped parking.
Please have your ticket(s) either printed out OR pulled up on your phone screen and ready for scanning for quick and easy check-in. Pro-tip: take a screenshot of each of your tickets to have ready and pulled up on your phone screen! Please note: Wifi can sometimes be spotty at the front of the Museum.
GCV&M does not host a Civil War battle reenactment, and has not in several years. GCV&M now focuses on Civil War living history that interprets the complex effects of the war on the Genesee Valley and Greater Rochester area, including musters, which recruited and trained soldiers to bolster regiments in the area.
Guests still get to enjoy a number of exciting demonstrations like load in nine times, drilling, and more – all of which would have actually been happening in the Genesee Valley Region!
Our Muster at Mumford programming focuses on the experiences of Union troops in New York State. There will not be the presence of Confederate reenactors or the display of the Confederate flag or other Confederate symbolism. While we do not have Confederate reenactors on-site, we are of course still able to present our visitors with a nuanced and accurate history of both sides of the conflict.
Our visitors are always welcome to get in on the historical fun by wearing their 19th-century finest! Visitors are not, however, permitted to bring weapons on site (real, or fake). We ask that visitors not wear Confederate symbolism on site, or clothing reflecting any sort of hate speech.
Here’s where you can read more about our policies / code of conduct: https://www.gcv.org/safety-policies/
Yes! This event is rain or shine. The Museum will only cancel in case of a severe weather emergency.
Please dress accordingly for the predicted weather conditions.
We recommend wearing a good pair of walking shoes – there is a lot to see and do, and surfaces in the Historic Village (brick paths, cobblestone, grass), can be uneven.
Yes! Leashed service animals are welcome with proper identification.
We’re sorry to hear that you’re not able to attend! Tickets may be refunded only up to 7 days prior to the event date and are strictly non-transferable by date, entry time, or program.
