A fascinating new exhibit at the Sheldon Peck Homestead explores Lombard’s connection to one of the Civil War’s largest Union prisoner-of-war camps.

“Camp Douglas and the Civil War at Home” tells the story of General Benjamin Sweet, a prominent Lombard resident who commanded Camp Douglas in Chicago during the final years of the Civil War after being severely wounded at the Battle of Perryville.

The traveling exhibit, on loan from the Camp Douglas Restoration Fund, features archaeological artifacts, photographs, and stories about Camp Douglas, which housed more than 30,000 Confederate prisoners between 1862 and 1865. Visitors will also learn about Sweet’s daughter, Ada Celeste Sweet, a pioneering federal official who worked at the camp, and Sanford Peck, the teenage son of Sheldon and Harriet Peck, who joined the Union Army at just 15 years old.

Lombard Historical Society Executive Director Alison Costanzo says the exhibit helps visitors see how local history connects to larger national events.“We work really hard here to tell an interesting story based on fact,” Costanzo said. “We are telling these amazing things that happened by ordinary people.”

The exhibit is open noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through the end of November at the Sheldon Peck Homestead. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated.

Location: Sheldon Peck Homestead, 355 E. Parkside Ave., Lombard