Artillery Shell Fragment from 1st Days Battle of Gettysburg, Shields Museum

This is another nice piece being offered, it is a section of an exploded artillery shell, probably a Read or Parrott, measuring 2 ½” x 1 ¼” x ¾”. It was recovered from the 1st Day’s Battle of Gettysburg. This piece and several others were part of the Gettysburg Shields Museum (see pictures), this being the last one.

This is from the collection of Tom Bohon, a longtime Gettysburg collector. He was a regular visitor to the Shields Museum until the Park Service purchased the land and the contents were auctioned. In 1974, however, the museum was being run by Ellen Shields, who literally just wanted more floor space and offered Tom the chance to buy a display case full of artifacts entirely recovered on the first day’s battlefield. The deal was a one-time, all or nothing offer, and he took it, keeping the collection intact until he passed away in 2019.

In 1918, Ott Shields opened a private museum that featured the “Shields Collection” - one of the few documented Gettysburg collections, obtained by local families (Rosensteel, Danner; Wert, Ziegler, etc.). The museum stood along Route 30 just west of downtown Gettysburg and housed a large collection of artifacts related to the battle (see pictures).

The Shields Museum closed in the 1980s and the collection was sold at auction on November 16, 1985. Offering over 600 lots “comprised mostly of Gettysburg battlefield pick-up relics,” the auction attracted several hundred Civil War collectors, dealers, and museum buyers.

This is a great, documented Gettysburg piece with its provenance. I will include the original flat box that it came in. It is always nice when you can acquire a 100% Gettysburg relic, especially with ties to this famous local museum.