Varnum Blog

American Civil War Field Desk (Colonel John Talbot Pittman)

At the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, we have a U.S. Civil War field desk used by Colonel John Talbot Pittman of the 9th and 11th Rhode Island Volunteers while manning the defenses of Washington DC.

Strange Brew

(top) Mauser Model 1871 single shot .11mm caliber, bolt action. (bottom) Mauser Model 98k, 7.9mm caliber (this weapon was captured by an American foot soldier during WWII). Both from Varnum Armory collection.

(top) Springfield Model 1873 .45 caliber rifle used by American volunteer forces in Spanish American War. (bottom) Krag-Jorgensen Model 1898 .30 caliber rifle issued to Regular Army troops. Both from Varnum Armory Collection.

Brian Wallin, a veteran broadcast news reporter and producer.

CVE-106, "Block Island"

The Aircraft Carriers of Block Island

Out on Block Island, there is a small plot of land with a very special memorial: a ship’s bell commemorating

The Alamo

Rhode Island’s Albert Martin, A Hero of the Alamo

One of the most famous documents in American history, “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World,”

The Dorr Rebellion Flag

The Dorr Rebellion Flag: A Mystery Solved

Hanging in the President’s Office is a faded 19th century relic that commemorates a defining moment in Rhode Island history.

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