NPS Opens Medical Museum In Richmond
August 2002
RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond National Battlefield
Park dedicated the renovated Chimborazo Visitor Center at a
June 15 ceremony. The new exhibits and audio-presentation examine
the state of medicine during the early part of the 19th century,
the development of the Confederate Medical Service, and Richmond
as a hospital center.
The display also explores the role of women and African Americans,
who nursed and cared for the wounded and sick soldiers. Medical
uniforms and equipment are featured in displays that dispel
many of the commonly held myths and perceptions about Civil
War medicine and medical treatment.
Park Superintendent Cynthia MacLeod said that in addition to
the military side of the story, visitors "are also intrigued
by the story of the hospital, field surgery, and other aspects
of the medical story. Our goal for the Chimborazo Medical Museum
is to bring awareness to this lesser-told medical story."
In talking about the new visitor center a few months ago, assistant
superintendent David Ruth said: "This is first opportunity
for the National Park Service in any of our many military sites
to be able to get into a subject like medical care in a large
way that affects everyone of our Civil War sites."
He said: "We wanted to provide an opportunity for visitors
to understand truly how the medical departments worked, what
the status of medical knowledge was in 1860 and who these physicians
were. In many cases so many of them are nameless and people
know only what they did and how they were defined as 'butchers.'"
From 1959 to 2000 Chimborazo housed the park's main visitor
center, which was moved in June 2000 to the Tredegar Iron Works.
Since then, the building has been renovated with new museum
exhibits containing more than 100 objects and a new 17-minute
film, "Under the Yellow Flag," which focuses on the
story of Civil War medicine, with particular emphasis on the
Confederate Medical Service.
During the Civil War, Chimborazo emerged as the largest Confederate
hospital. Its medical staff treated more than 77,000 patients
between October 1861 and April 1865.
Chimborazo Medical Museum is one of the 12 Civil War sites
protected by Richmond National Battlefield Park around the
city of Richmond.
The site is at the eastern end of Broad Street. For further
information, visit the National Park Service headquarters at
Chimborazo Park or call (804) 226-1981 or visit www.nps.gov/rich
