Museum of the Confederacy

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Excuse me for having to ask, but what ever happened to the idea of moving the museum to Lexington? I personally would of liked to see it relocated to Lexington. If the museum is to establish multiple sites, was a "western site" ever considered?

Johnny,

Take a look at the newspaper report listed in post #78 of this thread. Back in September, the MoC decided upon Spotsylvania, Appomattox, and later Fort Monroe as the three locations it will pursue for its new museums. Lexington was considered, but apparently did not make the final cut. I suspect that all of the locales the MoC considered were because those areas sought out the MoC. Maybe no towns or cities outside of Virginia approached the MoC. Also, since the museum will retain a headquarters in Richmond, administration and logistics probably dictated that it look at sites relatively close to its home.

It still remains to be seen, of course, whether any money can be raised to build these satellite facilities. It sounds like the MoC doesn't have the funds itself, so will the localities be willing to pay for the new facilities?

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Museum begins push for funds

Museum of the Confederacy takes major step toward bringing museum to Spotsylvania County and two other locations in Virginia

By DAN TELVOCK

The Free Lance-Star [Fredericksburg, Va.]
May 9, 2008

The Museum of the Confederacy has hired a fund-raiser, a major step in its effort to expand out of Richmond into a system of museums in Spotsylvania County and other Virginia locations.

S. Waite Rawls, president and chief executive officer of the museum, said Otis C. "O.T." Crowther Jr. will join the staff as vice president for advancement on June 1.

"We moved from the internal planning to 'now let's go do it,'" Rawls said. "'Let's go do it' means we've got to raise money regardless of whom we raise the money from. This is going to be a big effort and we needed a real well-qualified person to lead it."

The museum has the world's largest collection of Civil War artifacts. Rawls said his new vision is precipitated by a 50 percent drop in attendance chiefly caused by the continued growth of the adjacent Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Rawls announced late last year a plan to develop a system of museums at four locations in Virginia, including a site near or at the Chancellorsville battlefield off State Route 3 by 2012.

The White House of the Confederacy and the museum's administration headquarters, research center and library would remain in Richmond. The other two proposed sites are Appomattox Court House National Park and Fort Monroe in Hampton.

"I've just really been excited and motivated by the plan that the museum has laid out for its future," Crowther said.

For the plan to work, Rawls said, he needs community support and at least $15 million in local, state and federal funding for the three new museum sites. He estimated the buildings will be 8,000 square feet, with about 5,000 square feet for exhibits.

Rawls said that before a major fundraising effort is launched, Crowther will line up lead donors.

Crowther worked on the capital campaign for the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, where he helped raise $30 million of the $80 million the school wanted to raise internally.

Rawls continues to pitch his plan to area leaders.

Since the March meeting with the Spotsylvania chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he said, he has had frequent talks with the National Park Service and battlefield preservation groups. He has met with the local Ruritans and privately with county supervisors.

Last Saturday, he attended the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust's annual meeting at Willis Hill, and brought with him Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's sword. About 100 people attended, including Speaker of the House Bill Howell, R-Stafford.

"It was a real thrill for people to see Stonewall Jackson's sword, and it was the first time it was in Fredericksburg since May of 1863," Crowther said.

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/052008/05102008/378179

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Confederate Museum officials tour Appomattox for potential sites

By MARVIN HAMLETT

Times-Virginian [Appomattox, Va.]
June 18, 2008

Officials from Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy have conducted a "site tour" in Appomattox in anticipation for a groundbreaking that could take place as early as next year.

Beckie Nix, who is the Director of Tourism for the Town of Appomattox, accompanied the Museum officials on the June 6 tour that included multiple sites to locate the facility.

The museum officials included Museum Executive Director Waite Rawls and architect Madge Bemiss.

"The architect wanted a tour of the area to get a feel of everything and possible sites," Nix said. "She was very excited about the national park and the relocation sites."

Although no site has been chosen yet, the Town and Museum hope to host a groundbreaking ceremony in late 2009, Nix said.

The Grand Opening would then take place in 2010, she said.

"They're committed and it's a done deal," Nix said.

Appomattox is one of three localities chosen to house artifacts of the Museum of the Confederacy.

Chancellorsville and Fort Monroe have also been targeted as museum sites.

Nix said the other two sites have "issues" that will likely enable Appomattox to be the first site to open its branch of the Confederate Museum.

Nix said the recent site tour was met with positive response from the Museum president and architect.

"The architect felt Appomattox was a wise choice and a prime location for being able to reach people," she said. "There has been mutual cooperation between the Town, County and community. Everybody's been supportive. The Museum of the Confederacy is very pleased because they've received nothing but welcome arms. They continually remark about how well things are going in Appomattox."

The architect hopes to design a museum building that is both appealing and visitor-friendly.

"This architect's philosophy is to first decide the stories that are going to be told (based on the available relics) through the facility," Nix said. "Then she's going to meld that in with the location and surroundings, and those things will determine the appearance of the building."

Nix said the Museum currently has 70 percent of its exhibits in storage. The Museum also boasts the majority of the flags that were surrendered in Appomattox.

"And each has its own story," she said.

The Museum announced last September that Appomattox was chosen as one of its satellite locations to share the Civil War collection of Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy.

Museum officials are planning to divide the Civil War collections between locations in Appomattox, Chancellorsville, Richmond and Fort Monroe.

The museum boasts the world's largest collection of Civil War History artifacts, manuscripts and images.

Each building will have 8,000 square feet of building space and 5,000 square feet gallery space.

Although the artifacts have not been decided on yet, Rawls stated that the collection for Appomattox will be based on the end of the war.

Some artifacts for display would include Robert E. Lee's sword, uniform, pistol and pen he used to sign the surrender documents.

An end-of-the-war theme will be part of the artifacts, said Rawls.

Rawls estimates that it would cost $4 million for the construction of each building, including landscaping and a parking lot.

The museum will raise the money for the construction through local, state, federal and private donors.

This money will be raised specifically for new locations.

Recently the museum received $400,000 from the General Assembly for the operation of the museum.

The construction of the sites will be just in time for the 150-year anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

The 150th anniversary could bring a wealth of tourist dollars to Civil War locations across the country.

The museum has been at its current Richmond location since 1976 and the museum will remain in full operation and open to the public for a least five years.

Nix and Appomattox County Tourism Director Anne Dixon spearheaded the museum proposal.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/06/19/appomattox/news/news31.txt

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

CITY IN THE RUNNING

Museum of the Confederacy executive director turns attention toward Fredericksburg's old courthouse on Prince Anne Street as a possible museum site. Vision for Spotsylvania County site appears to be fading

By DAN TELVOCK

The Free Lance-Star [Fredericksburg, Va.]
August 6, 2008

Famous Civil War artifacts like the original painting of the last meeting between generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee may find a home in Fredericksburg instead of Spotsylvania County.

Waite Rawls, executive director of the Museum of the Confederacy, announced in September his vision of a system of four museums in Virginia, including one at the Chancellorsville battlefield in Spotsylvania. He imagined showcasing artifacts with battlefields.

That vision has taken a detour out of Spotsylvania.

Rawls approached Fredericksburg officials recently about showcasing artifacts at the historic courthouse on Princes Anne Street. Economic Development and Tourism Director Kevin M. Gullette said he gave museum officials a tour of the building.

Gullette said he was told there was an impasse with the Spotsylvania proposal.

"It seems they want to have a presence in the region but they are also on a timeline for the sesquicentennial," he said.

Spotsylvania Supervisor Hap Connors said Rawls and City Councilman Matt Kelly recently informed him about the prospect in the city. But Connors said Rawls also affirmed his interest in the Chancellorsville site.

"I was surprised to hear [about the interest in the city] because we have yet to see a formal proposal," Connors said. "We are still waiting on that and our arms are wide open."

Rawls refused to discuss any conversations he has had with city officials. He said he is exploring all options for a museum in the region.

"The region offers tremendous potential to us, and we offer tremendous potential to the region," he said. "The traveler base is really good for us and our artifacts are so pertinent to the region."

Fredericksburg Mayor Tom Tomzak said museum officials approached the city. He said he was told the process with Spotsylvania County was not moving smoothly.

It is unclear why Rawls is less enthusiastic about bringing a museum to Spotsylvania County. Museum officials had said their vision was contingent on financing, estimated at $15 million for three new 15,000-square-foot visitor buildings. In May, the museum hired a fundraiser.

Some supervisors had concerns about what financial impact the museum could have on local taxpayers. Rawls had said he would seek local, state and federal funding.

By locating at the city's historic courthouse, capital costs would drop significantly, because the building already exists.

Supervisor Gary Jackson said he figured the sluggish economy shut down plans for the museum because he had not heard from Rawls.

"The last I heard was he was shopping all over the place, so I guess I am kind of not surprised," he said.

Others with knowledge of the proposal have said Rawls was running into problems finding a firm location for a museum at the Chancellorsville Battlefield.

Russ Smith, superintendent of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County National Military Park, said he told museum officials that he hoped the museum would not be built on the Mullins Farm tract on State Route 3 where heavy fighting took place at Chancellorsville. The Civil War Preservation Trust bought the farm in 2006.

The Chancellorsville Battlefield area appeals to museum officials because it is the scene of the last meeting between generals Jackson and Lee, Smith said.

"They like the idea of being close to the last meeting site," he said.

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/082008/08062008/399390

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Confederate museum to share surprising collection

By STEVE SZKOTAK

Associated Press
August 24, 2008

With surgical gloves, S. Waite Rawls III pulls out a large drawer in the basement of the Museum of the Confederacy to reveal a startling display: dolls the size of children, neatly lined up like small bodies on a morgue slab.

The dolls are among what the museum calls the "world's most comprehensive collection of Confederate artifacts," a trove valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Rawls, the museum's president and CEO.

But at any given time, only 10 percent to 15 percent of the museum's holdings are on display on the building's three floors. The rest remains tucked away in gray cabinets, boxes stacked high and, in the case of delicate flags, in clear, sealed containers designed to hold the ancient stitching in place.

In 2011, a portion of the museum collection is scheduled to go on the road, journeying to three historic Virginia sites as part of a plan to bring the artifacts of the Civil War to the people.

While half of the collection will remain at the Richmond museum, the satellite exhibits will draw upon a vast number of artifacts. The 15,000 items include:

- 3,000 military accouterments — spurs, saddles, tack, belts, medals and buttons totaling 1,000.

- 510 of the 13,000 known wartime flags in existence, including one stitched by Robert E. Lee's wife and four daughters.

- 250 uniform pieces, including the one Lee wore when he surrendered to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

- 5,000 domestic items such as homemade soap, slave-woven coverlets, baskets, dolls, china, silver sets and serving bowls the size of small tubs.

The collection of dolls includes "Lucy Ann," which was used to smuggle quinine over enemy lines. The medicinal compound was hidden in the doll's head — a compartment revealed when her hat and hair are removed.

Rawls said as significant as the collection is, the origins of each item is important — its provenance, in the vernacular of museum curators.

"How did we get all of Robert E. Lee's stuff? From his son," Rawls said. "How did we get all of Stonewall Jackson's stuff? From his widow."

The collection, nonetheless, has been unable to slow a steady decline of visitors.

Located next to the executive mansion of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the museum is difficult to find amid the maze of the ever-expanding Virginia Commonwealth University medical complex, which towers over the mansion and the museum.

The museum has also suffered in recent years as the traditional Southern reverence of all things Confederate has fallen flat with newcomers and black Southerners who see no celebration in the Confederacy.

Critics have called the museum a shrine, a relic of the Old South.

The American Civil War Center, which is on the other side of downtown Richmond, is cast as a contemporary answer to the museum. It strives to present the African-American, North and South perspectives of the Civil War, with a greater emphasis on education than artifacts.

John Motley, chairman of the board of the Civil War Center, said he visits the Museum of the Confederacy each year because of the quality of its collection and programs.

While he said he disagrees with the museum's point of view, he added, "I think it is critical for the telling of the history of the United States that the valuable MOC collection is preserved."

Kevin Levin, who teaches American history at a private school in Charlottesville and is the creator of the lively, irreverent blog Civil War Memory, said the museum has attempted to make itself relevant in recent years but has become a divisive symbol.

"Certain groups are unable to draw a distinction between a museum for the Confederacy as opposed to a museum of the Confederacy," Levin wrote in an e-mail.

Rawls is mindful of the perception, but strongly disagrees that the museum celebrates the Confederacy.

"We don't. We tell the Confederacy's story in depth," he said.

Rawls said the museum strives to educate.

"There are very few people who are willing to face the controversies of the Civil War, and we do," he said.

In two years, the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the museum aims to share its wealth at: Appomattox; Fredericksburg, where one-third of all Civil War casualties were recorded within a 20-mile radius; and Fort Monroe, a Union outpost in Hampton where Davis was imprisoned after the war.

"At each site, we have an unbelievable historic place, a bunch of themes to explore," Rawls said with enthusiasm. He envisions 400,000 visitors annually at the three locations and the museum, where its substantial scholarship will continue. That is 10 times greater than the museum's annual visitors.

"I think in practical terms, getting the artifacts out there is the right move," Levin said.

On a recent August afternoon, the museum was humming with visitors who peered into glass-enclosed display cases that included poignant reminders of the deadly conflict: a soldier's bloodstained letter to home and a field notebook pierced by a shot that felled its owner, Stonewall Jackson's cartographer. The same volley also wounded Jackson.

Melynda and David Wilcox or Alexandria stopped with their twin 10-year-old daughters on their way to North Carolina for a vacation. They had already visited the American Civil War Center, and thought the two museums complemented each other.

"I don't think people should be put off by what's here," Melynda Wilcox said.

http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewContent.act?tag=3.5721%3Ficx_id=D92OOOK89

Eric

[Gary of CA]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

I was surprised to learn that after Virginia, the state with the most members of the Museum of the Confederacy is California. At least that is what they told me the last time I was there.

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Town wants to buy site for Confederacy museum

Appomattox's would be 1st of the divided Museum of Confederacy sites to open

By DANIEL NEMAN

Richmond Times-Dispatch [Richmond, Va.]
September 12, 2008

The uniform and sword worn by Gen. Robert E. Lee when he surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant may soon be heading back to Appomattox.

The town of Appomattox plans to buy a 4-acre site for the Museum of the Confederacy, pending approval by the Town Council after a period of public comment. The site is halfway between the town and the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, where Lee's 1865 surrender effectively ended the Civil War.

"What an appropriate place for it. You make the place come alive. . . . You take history back to where it happened," said S. Waite Rawls III, president and CEO of the Museum of the Confederacy.

The town pledged $350,000 for the museum, Mayor Paul Harvey said. If approved, it will buy the land -- which is located in Appomattox County -- for $325,000 from Fred Jones.

"He was very generous in his deal with the town so we can buy it. He worked out a very, very favorable deal with the town," Harvey said.

The rest of the money will be given to the museum to use as it sees fit, Harvey said.

The museum is in the process of spreading its collection of Civil War relics to four Virginia sites: at Appomattox; in the Fredericksburg region; at Fort Monroe; and staying in Richmond. The first new site will be the Appomattox location, which Rawls expects to be completed by 2011, the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war.

"We want [the building] to look like part and parcel of the 19th-century landscape. A rustic, might-have-been-there-then sort of a feel. The principal story that will be told there is the end of the war and the beginning of the reunification of the nation," Rawls said.

Along with Lee's uniform and sword, the new site will include many of the flags surrendered at Appomattox, parole lists and other items, plus room for rotating exhibits. It also will have a gift shop, educational facilities, living-history interpretations and a large space for community functions.

"It certainly is going to add to the historical park area. It's going to be a definite addition to the town and the county for tourism, for potential economic development around that area," Harvey said.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-09-12-0077.html

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Museum of the Confederacy’s Appomattox expansion clears hurdle

By Sarah Watson

The News & Advance [Lynchburg, Va.]
October 28, 2008

A major hurdle for the Museum of the Confederacy’s planned site expansion in Appomattox was cleared Tuesday after Town Council unanimously approved a purchase agreement.

The town bought the 4-acre plot just outside town limits near the intersection of U.S. 460 and Virginia 24 for $325,000 and will lease it to the museum.

No citizens spoke for or against the proposal at Tuesday’s public hearing and council members did not comment before voting.

Museum officials announced in Sept. 2007 that it would create three expansion sites throughout the state as a way to let the public view more of the world’s largest collection of Civil War artifacts than is possible at its current site in Richmond.

Appomattox, along with the Fredericksburg area and Fort Monroe, was chosen because of its historical significance, and exhibits planned for the site will reflect the area’s unique Civil War history, museum director S. Waite Rawls said.

Rawls told council that the proposal is past the basic planning stages. “This is real and it’s going to happen,” he said. “I can personally tell you I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.”

The Appomattox site will have interactive displays, a multi-purpose room and other exhibits, Rawls said.

Among the artifacts to be displayed are the Confederate army’s copy of parole logs and Robert E. Lee’s uniform, sword and the pen he used to sign the surrender documents in April 1865, Rawls said.

“We don’t have Robert E. Lee’s underwear, but we have everything else.”

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/museum_of_the_confederacys_appomattox_expansion_clears_hurdle/9914/

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Museum of the Confederacy in Appomattox announces creation of support organization

By Sarah Watson

The News & Advance [Lynchburg, Va.]
November 24, 2008

The first chance for public involvement with the Museum of the Confederacy’s new branch planned for Appomattox was unveiled Monday night during a reception for area leaders and stakeholders.

Museum leaders announced the creation of Friends of the Museum of the Confederacy — Appomattox, a support organization dedicated to preserving the Civil War history in the region.

Those who join the group will play a key role in the Appomattox museum’s development, not just with raising money, but providing feedback on various topics and questions, said OT Crowther, the museum’s vice president for advancement.

The first focus of the group will be to restore the 18th Virginia Infantry flag, which included companies from Appomattox, Farmville, Danville, Charlotte County and Pittsylvania County, Crowther said. The flag was captured by Union soldiers shortly before the Appomattox surrender and was given to the museum by the U.S. War Department in 1905.

“Because of the connection with the community … we believe the flag of the 18th Virginia has become a symbol for this region,” Crowther said.

Restoration and preservation of the flag is expected to cost about $25,000 and when complete, it will be one of the first artifacts to be put on display at the Appomattox museum, Crowther said.

“It’s good to find something that you can identify with and is a readily available symbol, and you can achieve success in a relatively short period of time,” Crowther said.

Those who join also will be tapped to help museum officials identify the cultural, economic and educational programs that will appeal to the Appomattox community, Crowther said. “We are looking for a long-term relationship with the community.”

Once the fundraising goal for the flag’s restoration is reached, the group also then will be tapped to help raise money for the actual Appomattox museum building, Crowther said.

Museum officials announced in September 2007 they would be creating a branch system as a way to increase exhibit space. The Fredericksburg area, Fort Monroe in Tidewater and Appomattox were announced as the new sites, each focusing on war themes specific to those regions.

Four acres in Appomattox near the intersection of U.S. 460 and Virginia 24 was recently purchased by the town of Appomattox and will be leased to the museum. The museum hired Williamsburg-based architect Carlton Abbitt to design the building, which will feature space not just for permanent and rotating exhibits, but multi-purpose educational space for school group.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/museum_of_the_confederacy_in_appomattox_announces_creation_of_support_organ/10951/

Eric

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

I attended last night's meet & greet in Appomattox.

I like their plan & their design. I was skeptical at first but am convinced now.

Greg Starbuck

[Dignann]

Re: Museum of the Confederacy

Turns out, cabin in Appomattox isn’t from Civil War era

By Sarah Watson

The News & Advance [Lynchburg, Va.]
January 29, 2009

A structure on land in Appomattox that will be leased to the Museum of the Confederacy is not the Civil War-era log cabin officials previously thought.

Two weeks ago, a team of experts gathered on the land to take a closer look at the cabin and sort out its roots, said S. Waite Rawls III, the museum’s director. What they learned was the building likely was built between 1900 and 1920, using old logs from nearby, he said.

The team, which included museum officials, county Tourism Director Anne Dixon, Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park historian Patrick Schroeder, archaeologists from the state Department of Historic Resources and experts from the private and academic sectors, “went over the cabin with a fine tooth comb to see what we could determine,” Rawls said.

By examining how the logs were put together, the types of nails used and other characteristics, the conclusion was that the cabin was built between 1900 and 1920 and used logs from another structure, likely a barn, Rawls said.

“Logs used in houses tend to be squared off a lot so they fit tightly with each other,” Rawls said. “Logs in a barn are not squared off much and there’s bigger gaps between the logs. And this one’s got big gaps between the logs.”

Reusing logs was relatively common because it saved work and time, Rawls said. “They were green before green was in.”

Another characteristic that helped the team determine the building’s age was looking at the nails used. The nails found in the wood were round wire nails, similar to what are commonly used today, Rawls said. Those nails weren’t in wide use until the late 1800s — the types of nails in common use before the Civil War era were cut nails, which were square.

Initial reports about an abandoned house on the four acres of land that will be purchased by the town of Appomattox and leased to the museum were that it likely was built prior to the Civil War, Rawls said. The logs were hidden by boards and plastering and only discovered after the former owner began tearing the structure down in the fall.

Museum officials had hoped to move and restore the structure to be used as a homestead exhibit, but the museum now plans to take the building down, Rawls said. “Given the fact that they are old logs, we’ll be looking for another user. We don’t want to demolish it like putting it in a pile and burning it up. We don’t want to do that.”

But, Rawls said, the museum still wants to re-create a living history exhibit on the property.

“We would still like to interpret a homestead and cabin, a typical home of the period from Central Virginia, and at a future date we’ll probably get another Civil War-era log cabin and move it there.”

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/turns_out_cabin_in_appomattox_isnt_from_civil_war_era/12850/

Eric