Title
Recognizing the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia for their commitment to maintaining one of the largest collections of Civil War related materials and supporting efforts to construct a new museum that will showcase Philadelphia's role in that history.
Body
WHEREAS, The Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum was founded in 1888 by veterans Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps officers to preserve the history of that conflict and to promote public education through the collection, preservation and display of artifacts and written and photographic documents; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Museum holds more than 3,000 artifacts including firearms, weapons and uniforms, more than 7,000 photographs, hundreds of art works and about 400 cubic feet of archival material; and
WHEREAS, The Museum tells the story of the Civil War with Philadelphia, it's people, and all the stories of leadership, bravery and sacrifice of individuals, black and white, at the center; and
WHEREAS, The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War will be commemorated in 2011-2015 and the new Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum in the First Bank of the United States will be essential if Philadelphia is to be recognized as an important tourist destination for Civil War history; and
WHEREAS, Given the popularity of the Museum as both a tourist attraction and desired location to showcase various artifacts and materials, the Museum is now looking to construct a new museum in the First Bank of the United States building to better meet its needs; and
WHEREAS, The Delaware River Port Authority has bond funds for capital projects in the historic district of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum would be an ideal candidate for a portion of these funds to use towards the construction of a new museum that could attract and expand the number of visitors to the historic district; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has authorized but no...
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