National Museum of Civil War Medicine

What National Museum of Civil War Medicine does

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a non-profit museum founded in 1996 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland, that preserves and interprets the medical history of the American Civil War. It operates three physical sites and maintains a collection of more than 5,000 artifacts supplemented by searchable historical databases of Civil War medical personnel and case records. The organization serves students, educators, heritage tourists, military medical professionals, and Civil War history enthusiasts through on-site visits, traveling exhibits, virtual field trips, walking tours, and double-decker bus tours. Its business model is a diversified non-profit revenue stack combining per-visitor admissions (roughly $5-10), tiered memberships ($35-$1,000+), donations, merchandise, group and tour bookings, and educational outreach programming. Institutional partnerships — with the National Park Service, GSA, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), and the Uniformed Services University — anchor both programming legitimacy and audience channels, while a 2024 multi-million-dollar redesign in collaboration with HealyKohler signals a capital reinvestment cycle. Recent moves into traveling exhibits (Clarksburg, Carnegie) and digital/virtual programming indicate intent to extend the collection's reach beyond the home Frederick catchment and to layer higher-priced experiential products on top of base admission.

Name

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Legal name

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Website

https://civilwarmed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a Frederick, Maryland-based non-profit museum operating three sites that preserve and interpret Civil War-era medical history for students, educators, heritage tourists, and military medical professionals through exhibits, tours, and educational programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum and Cultural Education

NAICS

Museums (71211), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Civil War medicine museum
• Historical medical exhibits
• Heritage tourism experiences
• Museum educational programs
• Civil War historical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frederick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Museum Admissions: Revenue from ticket sales at three museum locations with varying admission prices based on visitor category (adults, seniors, students, military, children).
2. Museum Memberships: Annual membership subscriptions at multiple tiers (Individual $35, Dual $65, Family $100, Hospital Steward $250, Surgeon General $500+, Sponsorship $1,000+) providing free admission, discounts, and exclusive benefits.
3. Donations: General donations supporting operations at all three locations, plus targeted donations for Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office and Pry House Field Hospital Museum.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling products including books, publications (NMCWM Press), merchandise, and medical history items across 261 product categories.
5. Tour and Event Fees: Revenue from walking tours ($15), double-decker bus tours ($39), group tours, speaker series events, and special programming.
6. Outreach Programs: Fees for virtual field trips, speakers bureau presentations, and traveling exhibits brought to external organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a non-profit museum organization that preserves and interprets the history of Civil War medicine across three physical museum sites: the main museum in Frederick MD, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in Washington DC, and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield. It delivers in-person museum visits, guided walking and bus tours, group tours, virtual field trips, speakers bureau presentations, and traveling exhibits, supported by research databases, multimedia content, and an online store selling books and merchandise. The organization funds its operations through admissions, tiered annual memberships, donations, tour fees, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a three-site museum organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Civil War medicine. Its core product portfolio centers on three physical museum locations: the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD; the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in Washington, DC; and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield in MD. These are complemented by an extensive array of educational services including walking tours, bus tours, virtual field trips, a speakers bureau, traveling exhibits, digital tours, and video/podcast content. The museum also operates research resources (Bettie Delaplaine Research Center, searchable databases, curated bibliographies), publications (Surgeon's Call magazine, NMCWM Press books), and a membership program. The organization publishes educational blog content under 'The Medical Record' and maintains an online store for merchandise and publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Museum of Civil War Medicine (Frederick, MD) The main museum location in historic downtown Frederick, Maryland, showcasing the history of Civil War medicine and its impact on modern healthcare through exhibits of medical artifacts, interactive displays, and educational programs. Open to walk-in visitors with tiered admission pricing.
• Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum (Washington, DC) A museum located in Washington, DC at the wartime boarding house of Clara Barton, where she organized medical supplies and led the search for missing soldiers after the Civil War. Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays plus reservations.
• Pry House Field Hospital Museum (Antietam National Battlefield) A museum on Antietam National Battlefield showing how the Pry family home was converted to a field hospital during the bloodiest single day in American history (September 17, 1862), featuring a medicinal herb garden. Operated by the museum on National Park Service-owned land.
• Group Tours Guided group tours at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum for educational groups, senior organizations, military units, and corporate outings. Reservations arranged through the Tours and Reservations Coordinator at least two weeks in advance.
• Downtown Frederick Walking Tours Guided walking tours of Downtown Frederick's Civil War hospital sites, exploring locations where 8,000 wounded soldiers were cared for in churches, schools, hotels, and private homes after the battles of Antietam and South Mountain. $15 per person including museum admission.
• Frederick in the Civil War Double Decker Bus Tour A guided bus tour aboard a vintage 1966 double-decker bus exploring Downtown Frederick's Civil War history and the evolution of battlefield medicine, departing from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. $39 per person including museum admission.
• Virtual Field Trips Online video-chat sessions with museum scholars that bring the museum's educational content to classrooms and organizations worldwide via the Internet.
• Speakers Bureau Expert museum speakers who present on Civil War medicine and humanitarianism topics at classrooms, organizations, or events.
• Traveling Exhibits Mini-exhibits about various aspects of Civil War medicine that can be shipped and displayed at external venues, including the Faces of Civil War Nurses photo exhibit created in collaboration with Military Images Magazine.
• Museum Membership Program Tiered annual membership program offering free unlimited admission, store discounts, member newsletter, Surgeon's Call magazine subscription, and exclusive member events. Tiers include Individual ($35), Dual ($65), Family ($100), Hospital Steward ($250), Surgeon General ($500+), and Sponsorship ($1,000+).
• Online Store E-commerce platform offering books, merchandise, medical history publications, and museum-related products including NMCWM Press books across 261 product categories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 wounded soldiers cared for in Frederick after Antietam - documented historical fact highlighted by museum
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Clarksburg History Museum and Harrison County Historical SocietyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 May 2026Host venue for traveling Faces of Civil War Nurses exhibit from May-August 2026 in Clarksburg, WV.
• Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music HallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 February 2026Host venue for traveling Faces of Civil War Nurses exhibit February-May 2026 in Carnegie, PA.
• Military Images MagazinemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2025Collaboration on Faces of Civil War Nurses photo exhibit featuring 20 life-sized portraits and personal stories of women who served as nurses during the Civil War.
• American Alliance of Museums (AAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum is affiliated with the American Alliance of Museums, indicating professional museum standards, accreditation alignment, and participation in the broader museum community.
• National Parks Service (NPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with National Parks Service for operation of the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield. NPS owns and maintains the site while the museum operates programming.
• U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership connecting Civil War medical innovations to modern military medicine, highlighting the legacy of battlefield medicine from the Civil War to contemporary military healthcare.
• Uniformed Services University of Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for education on military medical history and its connection to modern military healthcare education.
• Visit FrederickmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism partnership promoting Frederick, MD attractions including the museum, with cross-promotion on tourism materials and Visit Frederick website.
• Heart of the Civil War Heritage AreamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional heritage tourism partnership promoting Civil War sites in Maryland including museum as a key destination.
• Maryland Double DeckersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with vintage bus tour operator for Frederick in the Civil War double-decker bus tours departing from the museum.
• General Services Administration (GSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership related to Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office operations in GSA-managed building space.
• City of Frederick MDmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity partnership for regional promotion and tourism development in Frederick, MD.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mütter Museum: Philadelphia-based medical history museum operated by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Closest peer on the medical-history specialty axis, with comparable use of artifacts, collections-based programming, and adult/scholarly audiences.
• Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center: NPS-operated museum complex on the Gettysburg battlefield. Closest comparable visitor experience for Civil War heritage tourism in the Mid-Atlantic, with overlapping school, family, and senior visitor segments.
• American Civil War Museum: Operates three Civil War-focused museum sites in Richmond, VA and Appomattox, VA. Direct category competitor in Civil War interpretation and a close functional peer for multi-site specialty history museum operations.

Broad incumbents

• The National WWII Museum: Large-scale New Orleans-based museum focused on a major American conflict, with extensive educational outreach, traveling exhibits, and an academic conference model analogous to NMCWM's annual Conference on Civil War Medicine.
• National Museum of American History (Smithsonian): Smithsonian flagship covering U.S. history broadly, with adjacent medical history holdings. Functions as a broad incumbent whose scope dwarfs NMCWM but which validates the museum-going audience in the same geography.
• National Library of Medicine (NLM): Federal institution holding extensive historical medical collections and exhibitions in Bethesda, MD. Comparable as a research-driven medical history institution with public-facing exhibits in the same Mid-Atlantic region.
• National Museum of the United States Army: The U.S. Army's national museum at Fort Belvoir, VA covering U.S. military history with a medical/military operations lens. Comparable as a multi-program military history museum with educational and partner-network reach.

Others

• Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area: Maryland Scenic Byways/Heritage Area program that actively promotes NMCWM as a partner site. Functions as a regional tourism amplifier and channel partner, comparable as a marketing/referral ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
• Visit Frederick: Frederick, MD destination marketing organization that promotes the museum alongside other regional attractions. Functions as a regional tourism partner/amplifier rather than a peer competitor, but comparable as an audience-development channel for heritage visitors.

Regional players

• Clara Barton's Birthplace Museum: Small museum in North Oxford, MA dedicated to Clara Barton's early life. Functionally adjacent peer for Civil War-era humanitarian/medical history interpretation, though much smaller in scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/civilwarmed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nmcwm
• Facebookfacebook.com/CivilWarMed
• Instagraminstagram.com/civilwarmed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-museum-of-civil-war-medicine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Museum of Civil War Medicine