Albert Graves, who later changed his name to Albert Clifton, was a drummer boy in the Civil War who was among about 100 captured northern soldiers that escaped a Confederate prison by tunneling under a road.
Clifton later moved to Hague and built the Island Harbor House hotel, which he operated until his death.
Hague Historical Society President Ginger Kuenzel brought Clifton’s Civil War drum to the Hague Town Board meeting on Sept. 8 for a show-and-tell, which Councilman Jack Bast narrated.
“This is just one of many artifacts that we have,” Kuenzel said.
Kuenzel said the town should install a sprinkler system in the town community center building to prevent artifacts from being destroyed in a fire and to protect those who work in the building or attend meetings there.
“I think it’s a public safety issue,” she said.
The community center houses town offices, a large, frequently used meeting room, the town court room and a small history museum.
The Historical Society has been pushing the Town Board to conduct a feasibility study of installing a sprinkler system and constructing an addition to the community center to house a larger history museum.
Warren County code enforcement offici...