Susan Ogle is the director of the Drum Barracks Museum in Wilmington. It is a little-known piece of long-ago history in Wilmington, the last-remaining monument from the Civil War in the West. Now its lone curator may be on the way out as the city of L.A. slices its payroll to make up huge budget shortfalls. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A tree blooms in the courtyard of the Drum Barracks Museum, Southern California‘s only surviving Civil War structure, which is currently undergoing renovation. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Picture postcards, an ornate table and a spittoon are among the Civil War artifacts at the Drum Barracks Museum. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A document for the commission of an officer in the U.S. Army bears the signature of Abraham Lincoln. The artifact is among many authentic pieces from the Civil War that are on display. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Col. James Curtis, whose ghost is said to haunt the site, took command in 1863. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Schoolchildren are fascinated by the prosthetic leg of Civil War soldier Moses De Marce, who lost the limb when he was wounded at Bentonville, N.C. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Battle swords are displayed in a glass case in the armory of the Drum Barracks Museum in Wilmington. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
