In November 1861, in the early stages of the Civil War, 10 Union soldiers from southern Illinois took over the vacant print room of the Bloomfield Herald to establish a new publication, The Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library celebrates not only the military paper’s origins, but also its writers and photographers and the roles they played in some of history’s most pivotal moments. The museum’s 7,000 square feet of exhibition space is filled with memorabilia, uniforms, flags, replica trenches, military vehicles, letters, photographs, and more….
