Museum of the Confederacy to drop "Confederacy" from title?

[dave81276]

Re: Good money after bad

Mr. Corbett,

Unfortunately, we are caught between a rock and a hard spot. If we don't support the museums, great collections of artifacts (in the MoC's case, the largest collection of Confederate artifacts in the world) will be dispersed to private collections. The better course would be to exert our political power, such as when I asked everyone to email Waite Rawls, the Executive Director and President of the Museum of the Confederacy, in regard to the name change issue. You can still reach him at wrawls@moc.org. Let him know how you feel. Enough emails, especially from members, can change things. Just sitting on your duff griping won't help the situation.

And as far as battleflags deteriorating, feel free to contact Rebecca Rose, Curator, Registrar, and Director of Collections, at rrose@moc.org. She will be happy to help you with any questions about the Museum of the Confederacy Flag Conservation Program, http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer?p...e=md_flag_main.

[ley74]

Good money after bad (No such thing!)

The CWPT and, in middle Virginia, the CVBT do an excellent job of identifying tracts of land for preservation. In most instances, it is quite correct to say that once lost, a battlefield is gone forever. One can point, however, to the reclamation of nearly 100 acres at the Wilderness, along McClaws Drive and US Route 3. The CVBT acquired this ground several years ago, houses and all. Rare event, but done. Reassembling a museum collection is quite impossible.

That said, both are important and deserve equal consideration. With few exceptions, Dusty has listed a beneficiary of both land and artifacts for the ACPP each year. This is wise as it attracts both sets of concerned parties. (Some do not cross over.)

The real potential disaster with museums is fiduciary responsibility and the mission of trustees. Factions within the historical community want to claim an artifact research facility and educational facility as theirs. They pull and twist malleable trustees to "their" way of thinking, potentially disenfranchising others. It becomes a “Old Boys” club, comforted by the small but vocal until the day someone moves the cheese. Then, all hell breaks loose.

The Civil War Library and Museum on Pine Street in Philadelphia was such a place. Their collection was squabbled over for years and pilfered. All of this occurred in the name of a “cause”. The collection, an extensive one, was then rescued. Who knows how much was lost. The MoC is on a slippery slope.

Personally, interpretation is best left up to an individual. We are going to form our own opinion anyway, right or wrong. Most museums would be better served displaying the artifacts, providing details of composition, use, etc., and allowing access for researchers. Our best purpose is to hold those who have the responsibility accountable, in public if necessary, and protect the collections.

Keep the doors wide open. Squabbling over little crap is a waste of time and very dangerous.