SACO — A former librarian of Dyer Library is the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibit on the Civil War at the Saco Museum.

The exhibit, “Museums & Public Culture: John Haley’s Civil War,” is a project of a University of New England history class of the same name, taught by Elizabeth A. De Wolfe, professor of history at the University of New England, and Camille Smalley, collection and research manager for the Saco Museum.

Saco Museum is one of participating museums in the Maine Civil War Trail, which features exhibits on the Civil War throughout the state. Haley is a logical choice to feature for a local Civil War exhibit, as he had strong ties to Saco, fought in the Civil War and documented his time in the war.

Haley enlisted in the Army in 1862, and served as a private and later as a corporal with the 17th Maine Regiment of the Union Army, participating in major Civil War battles such as Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.

Haley’s journal chronicled daily activities at camp and on the battlefield, and visits to various towns in the South, according to information from Smalley.

Haley, a Saco native, was born in Biddeford in 1840 and died in 1920. He was the second librarian at the Dyer Library and a local historian.

Haley’s journals are more like an autobiography than the standard diary, said Smalley, as he edited all his entries.

An excerpt, dated Feb. 6, 1864, reads:

It commenced to rain as soon as we left the regiment and the mud grew soft and slushy. Darkness set in, and although I was tolerably familiar with the ground by daylight, it was not impossible to find anything. I became so ”¦ weak I fell down three times before last reaching the hospital sometime before midnight. Arriving there, I was directed to a disgustingly filthy hole. But this was no time to question the facilities. I must go or sleep in the fields as my condition precluded that idea. At least it was a shelter. All feelings of repugnance were drowned in the desire to lay down and rest. I had been ordered to leave the contents of my haversack in the kitchen but by a slight lapse of memory I hadn’t complied, a special intervention of Providence. Haven taken a lunch, I was soon asleep.

“Considering his education, his writing is really remarkable,” said Smalley, and described his tone as often “sarcastic and arrogant.” Haley dropped out of school at age 10 to work in a factory, she said.

Haley was a huge proponent of women’s rights, and dedicated a women’s reading room in the Dyer Library, said Smalley. She said Haley was also instrumental in the construction of the war monument at Eastman Park.

At 1,000 pages, the journal in its entirety is too large to use as a textbook, and Smalley said students read snippets of the document.

Earlier this week, UNE students were on hand at the museum, readying the museum’s back gallery for the exhibit they designed, and for which they have written text using pre-selected artifacts.

Artifacts on display are some of the museum’s collection, while some are borrowed, and include Civil War era playing cards, and Confederate money, weapons, uniforms and art work. Also on display are rings made from cow bones made by prisoners of war.

Student Stephen Snyder said he’s always been enamored with history, and this class gave him a different perspective on the subject.

Student Katie Labbe said at first the task to create a museum exhibit seemed daunting, but the class has been a good learning experience. She said she feels like she’s making a difference in the community by providing something they can enjoy and learn from.

“It’s definitely been a rewarding experience,” she said.

The exhibit opens on Friday, May 3, with a free reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. For more information about corresponding events or museum hours, go to www.dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org or call 283-3861, Ext. 113.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or [email protected].