HARRISBURG — Two members of Pennsylvania Tent 62 Katherine Wilson Curtin recently spoke at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg about the unique and fascinating story of a stunningly elegant, French-made purple velvet and silk dress ensemble of the 1880s.
Tent 62 is the local chapter of Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 based in Boalsburg.
The dress, currently owned by the museum, belonged to and was worn by Centre County native and Pennsylvania Civil War First Lady, Katherine Wilson Curtin, the namesake of Tent 62.
During the nine years and ten days since Tent members first set shocked eyes on the historic dress in its archival box during a behind the scenes tour of the Museum in March 2017, until the Harrisburg presentation where the pieces were displayed on mannequins and their stories told, sisters of the 20-member Tent had not only spent many hours exhaustively researching facts and exploring context using online sources and site visits, but had also painstakingly conserved the dress under the guidance of Dr. Karin Bohleke at Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum.
The museum had invited the Tent to give a presentation for the March 2026 “Lessons in History” program in honor of women’s history month and in celebration of the expanding Museum exhibit titled “Women in the War.” One Museum board member noted that it was a refreshing change to attend a presentation on a woman involved in the Civil War, rather than on the usual topics of battles and battle strategies.
Sue Kellerman and Karen Hazel developed and delivered the slide show presentation, assisted by Tent president Becky Crossley and Luann Yohn. The presentation was first given, with much acclaim, in December 2024 at the Centre Furnace Mansion in State College.
Beyond having an opportunity to appreciate the plush and intensely colored fabric of the dress, with its many tucks, folds and twists, exquisite beading, apricot flower buttons, and delicate lace, the Museum audience was also offered a rare and intimate peek into the life of one of Centre County’s impressive and influential women.
The dress tells us that Katherine Wilson Curtin was about 5’4” tall, with petite bone structure. She was a woman with the economic means to afford, and the social opportunities to wear, an imported gown of such elegance.
Among her public services in addition to visiting troops in the field and opening the executive mansion in Harrisburg as a temporary hospital ward during the Civil War, was her frequent donation of desirable items for Ladies Aid Society raffles. Later, she served as Lady of the United States Ministry to the Russian Court at St. Petersburg, when her husband, ex-Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, served as Minister (Ambassador).
In the 1880s, when she would have worn this dress, she served both as hostess for, and as guest at, her husband’s many social obligations when he served two terms as U.S. representative of the 15th Congressional District. For example, in 1885 the Curtins personally hosted President Chester A. Arthur and his younger sister and White House hostess, Mrs. Mary Arthur McElroy, along with a small select group of other U.S. and foreign officials at their District of Columbia home.
At the conclusion of the presentation, the dress was returned to the museum.
