After space renovations, exhibit redesigns and cataloging of the collections, Governor Warren Knowles joined WDVA Secretary John Moses and other dignitaries at the rededication of the GAR Memorial Hall on June 2, 1965.

New exhibits in the Hall included a diorama of the Battle of Gettysburg and depictions of the soldiers’ experiences of the Civil War alongside artifacts that enhanced their story. A replica of Old Abe kept watch in a room where the walls were lined with the revered battle flags in glass cases.

As Wisconsin State Journal reporter, William Witt, wrote, “Madison need no longer be ashamed of its Civil War Museum tucked away on the fourth floor of the Capitol.”