National Museum and White House of the Confederacy

The National Museum and White House of the Confederacy stand in the city of Richmond as a remnant of the Old South.

More than just a tribute to Dixie Land, these exhibits are time travelers, making visitors feel as though they are visiting Richmond in the 1860s.

The museum covers a wide range of well-researched information about every aspect of the Civil War, from a day in the life of a Confederate soldier to recipes from the Confederate home kitchen.

The National Museum of the Confederacy
The National Museum of the Confederacy is a commemoration and preservation of artifacts, letters, and pictures from the Civil War.

The museum was first opened on February 22, 1896, in the White House of the Confederacy. In 1970, the Museum was given its own building, right next door to the White House.

The three story exhibition contains thousands of original artifacts and memorabilia from the Confederacy, including items once owned by Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and J. E. B. Stuart.

The museum also has more than 500 of the original wartime Confederate battle flags.

The museum contains letters from soldiers to their loved ones, fashionable clothes from the era, uniforms of officers and generals, and original weapons used in the Civil War.

Exhibits educate visitors on the day in the life of a southern soldier, a chronological account of the war, what families went through at home, and the war’s aftermath.

The White House of the Confederacy
Visitors to the White House of the Confederacy receive a guided tour through each of the rooms on the first and second stories of the White House.

The White House, called the “Gray House” during wartime, was occupied by Jefferson Davis and his family during the Civil War. Though the Davis family occupied the house, it was owned by the city of Richmond, to which Davis paid a monthly rent fee.

The White House was turned into housing for Union soldiers during the Reconstruction and then used as a school for children. In 1890, it became home to the Museum of the Confederacy.

In 1976, the White House of the Confederacy was closed for restoration, a project completed in 1988.

Today, the house contains draperies, wall coverings, and floors replicant of the time when the Davis family occupied it. More than 60 percent of the furniture is original to the house.

The National Museum and White House of the Confederacy is well worth the visit. A treasure of artifacts and original documents, it is an excellent preservation of the Confederate South.

Location
The Museum and the White House of the Confederacy are located right next to each other in downtown Richmond, Virginia.

The address is 1201 East Clay Street, Richmond, Virginia.

Admission and Hours
The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call the Museum or check its website for updated hours. The White House is accessible only through a guided tour, but is also open daily.

Visitors can purchase a combo pass to see both the Museum and the White House on the same visit for a price of $15 per adult, $13 for seniors 62 and older and $8 per youth ages 7-13. Children under 7 are free.