Members of the public frequently contact museum staff with inquiries about items in the collection. Often, the resulting research leads to the discovery of new, exciting information.

This is just what happened last spring when an individual contacted museum curator Angela Goebel-Bain to ask about measurements of a Civil War great coat that was donated to the state of Maine nearly 90 years ago. The museum’s records contained no data about the coat, but Angela set to work and found a treasure trove of information in a 1934 Kennebec Journal newspaper.

The coat was donated by Rockland native Lt. Col. Oliver Nelson Blackington, who purchased it in 1863. He wore it during his service as a commanding officer in the Union Army’s Corps d’Afrique, the African American regiment formed following the Emancipation Proclamation. Blackington went on to serve as a commanding officer in the United States Colored Troops and wore the coat during dress parades.

Lt. Col. Oliver Nelson Blackington ca. 1863

Curator Angela Goebel-Bain (right front) examining the coat with a visiting researcher

At the time, it was common for white officers to command African American regiments. Still, Blackington’s story is a complex one. He remained in Louisiana during Reconstruction and served as the Chairman of the Board of Registrars for Natchitoches Parish. He registered 192 white men and 1,354 Black men to vote for the first time.

He returned to Maine in 1870, settling with his wife and two young sons in Augusta, where he was buried following his death at the age of 95. Now, through his coat preserved at the Maine State Museum, Blackington’s story can be told more fully, thanks to an inquiry, a newspaper, and diligent research by a curator.