Welcome to the Cold Harbor Civil War Museum. In 1982 I was invited to bring my civil war collection from home and open a museum in the Williamsburg Pottery Factory, where I already had the Hanover Brass Foundry store front and
sand casting exhibit. The Pottery location in Williamsburg, VA was a very popular place for shoppers for more than 40 years, The museum averaged 60,000 visitors per year. The admission fee I charged was then used expand the museum. I converted the Maloney round house to become the museum, with 5 rooms of display cases, and even a room with a civil war cannon, complete with carriage and limber chest. The heading picture is of one of the display cases, packed
full of all sorts of collectibles. On display are the relics I personally dug through the years, as well as non-battlefield items I purchased.
I enjoyed the total experience of the museum (designing, collecting, sharing my experiences with others, and talking "Civil War") from 1982 - 1996, at which time I brought my collection back home, along with the foundry.
sand casting exhibit. The Pottery location in Williamsburg, VA was a very popular place for shoppers for more than 40 years, The museum averaged 60,000 visitors per year. The admission fee I charged was then used expand the museum. I converted the Maloney round house to become the museum, with 5 rooms of display cases, and even a room with a civil war cannon, complete with carriage and limber chest. The heading picture is of one of the display cases, packed
full of all sorts of collectibles. On display are the relics I personally dug through the years, as well as non-battlefield items I purchased.
I enjoyed the total experience of the museum (designing, collecting, sharing my experiences with others, and talking "Civil War") from 1982 - 1996, at which time I brought my collection back home, along with the foundry.
Cold Harbor Civil War Museum. Williamsburg VA Pottery. 1981-2001
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Thanks to Mike O'Donnell for all the pictures for my Cold Harbor Civil War Museum. He is an author, relic hunter and friend. Some of his reference book's are shown on my leather page. Some are out of date and others are still for sale.
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Tour the Museum
Case in room 1 Confederate uniform belonged to aide to Gen. Forrest, liquidated from NY museum
Case in room 2
Union accoutrements and other items 
GW studying case in room 4
Case in room 1 showing Confederate plates, buttons and various "Rebel" items
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Case in room 1
containing Union and Confederate Cavalry item, dug and non-dug 
Case in room 5 containing all kinds of battlefield dug relics
A 15-inch three fuse cannon ball dug at Dutch Gap, VA
Case in room 1 with the extremely rare Louisiana belt plate, with rays behind the pelican. This item won me the award of "Best Excavated Relic" at the 1989 Richmond Civil War Show
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Case in room 1 containing Confederate state buckles, buttons and other rare artifacts
Case in room 5 showing the 6 US plates in back row all dug in one afternoon, with my son LeeBrook
Variant Confederate frame belt plates dug from Cold Harbor displayed in room 5
Virginia breat plate, not cleaned, just as it was dug from Fredericksburg battle, found in same hole was the period safety pin, which may have been a repair attempt
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Case in room 1
with more Confederate items 
Case in room 1
dug CSA belt plates and non-dug CSA on original belt, also other CSA buttons and items 
Display in room 3 note the gold hat bugle dug from creek at Harrison's Landing, VA
This is the first of four CSA plates that I dug from Cold Harbor. I dug 2 within ten feet apart that same day, which is featured in a 1970 newspaper article
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Case in room 1 containing individual displays of GA, AL, and MS belt plates and buttons
Case in room 2
with US Navy rubber button, This is the style of display I used, individual items with museum description label 
More Confederate belt plates and buttons, note the rare sardine type CS that I dug at Malvern Hill, VA
This is the Maloney home that I converted into the Cold Harbor Civil War Museum located in the Williamsburg Pottery Factory |
Virginia style C.S.A. belt plate dug in the Confederate trench lines, Cold Harbor
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Cold Harbor Museum case number 4 with items dug and non-battlefield.
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1st National Confederate Flag I purchased from the Beverly DuBose estate. Carried by a Georgia Regiment and bought home by Raphael Moses the officer of that regiment. It was presented to R. Moses by the southern ladies from his home town.
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Buckle used by the Drummer Boy dug Cold Harbor, VA.
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Artillery Grease Bucket dug from the Fair Oaks, VA battlefield and other artillery items
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Battlefield Pistol dug from Malvern Hill. Early in the war they used any weapon.
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Artillery case with a 100 lb Brooke Shell fired at Fort Harrison.
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Medical Case
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Leather Shoe dug from a Civil War trash pit Harrison's Landing, Berkley Plantation.
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Case with dug relics and note the brass boot pistol.
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Ohio Vol. Militia buckle and a Silver I.D. Pin. He was with the 44th New York. Dug from the Cold Harbor battlefield.
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Leather Boot dug from a Civil War trash pit Fort Harrison, VA.
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Case with different types of Bayonets. Some were used for pot hooks and some made into a knife. Also sword bayonets.
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I dug several of the 24lb Coehorn Mortar cannonballs from the Adams Farm, Cold Harbor.
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Just a few of the different Minie Balls and other type of ammo they were useing.
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1982-1992 Cold Harbor Museum in this round building Williamsburg Pottery
GW relic hunting 1960's
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