Part of a four-piece dress. Jacket: Short sleeves with cuffs. Dark blue velvet fully-lined in cream-colored silk with batting between two fabrics. 2 small leather-lined pockets on left inside. Hand-stiched strip on linging at lower edge right front. 3 hooks and thread-covered eyes at waist front. Parallel lines of sticthing on body at sleeve openings and at waist and on 3 bands around neck as well as front and silk at opening. Blue velvet strips have buttons in back and at tabbed ends on front. 4 tabbed front closure peices have buttons. Machine and hand-stitching.
Two-piece silk dress with bodice and overskirt. Gray-green fabric with olive trim, yoke, and fringe. Colonial revival style. Bodice has fake jacket with ruching along edge. Thread-covered button closure down front. No collar. Braid and knotted fringe.
beautifully detailed heavy satin top with long sleeves, exquisitly crafted buttons and fringed from short front all along the longer portion in the back. Bulk appear greyish with drab green trim. Fringe is light green and some threads on buttons appear aqua. Sleeves (19.5in long) flare at cuffs that are decorated 5 layers of raduated ruffles on upper portion of cuff. The top of this triangle of ruffles sports a fabric bow. All trim is made of main fabric with drab green trim also used for the triangle faux tab wiht a button at the point that extends from the ruffles to the inside of the sleeve.
Ruffles run the length of the front beneath a band of fabric trim. A front right section of drab green silk from neck to waist contains 12 1in buttonholes. On the left 6 buttons remain (a 7th is pinned to acard) and 1 buttoncover that shows the fine stitching. Two triangular pieces ith trim are seamed at the front armholes with the mitered tip of the handsewn triangles pointing toward the center front. Two bust darts on both sides are stiffened with stays. BOth straight and chain stitch on seams that are hand overcast. Double construction with tan polished cotton on inside of entire garment. Commercially made cord fringe, 3.5in long, are sewn into lower edge around entire top.
Back: Olive green silk piece from neck tapers to a point at center back. Along inside edge, pointing to top, are trimmed ruffles with a 1in wide trimmed border band of main fabric. In addition to side seams there are 2 curved seam fromarm seams to the center back waist where a large bow is attached. The back 13in below the bow is trimmed with sides folded to a center pleat. Outer edges of pleat are trimmed with fringe. Inside of back pane; is lined with drab green silk.
Civil War coatee, perhaps for Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment 1, Company K, known as the Jackson Rifles. Appears to be a dress/parade uniform.
Navy blue & white wool coatee with standing collar. 3 columns of buttons on the front and on two 15-inch tails. Metallic-thread embellishments on sleeves and tails. Front of garment tapers to a slight point at the center front, ending at the waist. Back with tails is longer. This is a finely constructed and tailored garment made of quality materials.
Buttons: Bronze-colored metal buttons with "Jackson Rifles" circling a center "JR" monogram. On reverse of button is a metal loop/shank and "Pettibone Mfg. Co., Cincinnati." 26 buttons on front of garment (one is missing) in three columns of 9; and 2 at waist level on back of garment. All have a diameter .875 inch). Three .25-inch buttons along side seams on each sleeve.
Back of garment: White wool along outer & inner edges of both 15-inch long tails. A hook & eye sewn where tails meet in center to align and hold tails together. Both decorated with branches with 13 star-like leaves sewn in metallic threads.
Sleeves: Both underarm and sides seams. (A torn seam opening reveals padding beneath sewn button shanks to anchor them.) Three .25-inch buttons sewn 2, 3.5 & 5 inches from cuff along underarm seam. Sleeves lined with tan silk-like fabric with woven plant designs.
Inside body of coatee: "31" in black inked onto batting at back neck. Remaining threads beneath indicate that a sewn-in tag was removed. A fabric loop for hanging the garment is sewn onto the collar. Garment is lined with grid-stitched batting. 6-inch slash pockets on left front and one on each tail.
Blue wool uniform belonging to Major Jeremiah Rohrer.
Wool slacks are blue with black pinstripe down each outside leg. Two large flap pockets on both sides with button on top outer corner. Small pocket open to inside top of waistband with standup semicircular flap with pinked edge. "Capt. J. Rohrer" written cursively in ink is on the lining of this pocket.
Buttons are round polished brown (wood?) with four recessed holes. Six 5/8th-inch diameter buttons sewn onto waistband. Smaller buttons on inside for front opening.
2 small metal buttons sewn to inside hems of backs of pant legs. Front of lower pant legs lined/reinforced with pieces of durable fabric. Heavy wear on lower pant leg edges.
Moth damage/holes.
Long-sleeved uniform jacket of black wool is fully lined. Stand-up collar is lined in black velvet.
A column of 7 found brass buttons is sewn down the front on both sides of jacket. (There are corresponding buttonholes on both sides.) Eagles with wings spread, holding olive branches and arrows in their talons, sport "I" on their chests. (Infantry?) Three smaller buttons are sewn on each sleeve. (One on left sleeve is missing)
Top of jacket buttons. Lower front is open and pleat in back is open from hemline to waist with two buttons at the waistline in the back. There are pockets in both pleats that could be buttoned closed. Buttons are missing
Bands sewn to the shoulder are black velvet, outlined in gold with 7-lobed leaves sewn on both ends.
Moth damage, holes in lower right and hem of jacket, both sleeves
Object ID
1944.006.1
Notes
Major Jeremiah rohrer (1827-1910) served as a field officer for nine months during the Civil War. He recruited Company H, also known as "the Susquehanna Rangers" which was mustered into the One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh regiment at Harrisburg on August 12, 1862.
After his term of service ended, Rohrer moved from his birthplace in Middletown to the city of Lancaster where he became know for his large liquor wholesale business and his Wild Cherry Tonic.
