Fourth Museum of the Confederacy Site Announced

Here's the press release....talk amongst yourselves!



Museum of the Confederacy Announces Fourth Proposed Location
Fort Monroe Under Consideration
The Museum of Confederacy has announced a fourth proposed location in its aim to establish a statewide system of visitor sites. Earlier this month the museum released its plan to operate a system of museums---the White House of the Confederacy in Richmond and new museums in Appomattox and Chancellorsville. Fort Monroe, a U. S. military installation set to close in 2011 in Hampton, Virginia has now been identified as a fourth site.
“We are excited about the opportunity to work with the communities of Hampton Roads and help keep this historic treasure a part of the Virginia visitor experience,” stated S. Waite Rawls III, President and CEO of the Museum of the Confederacy. “Fort Monroe played a major role in the Civil War. Our artifacts of the Confederate Navy could provide a major addition to the fort’s interpretation.”
The construction of Fort Monroe was supervised by young U.S. Army Lieutenant Robert E. Lee and completed in 1834. Named for President James Monroe, the site is a six-sided stone fort completely surrounded by a moat and is the last of its kind in the United States. Fort Monroe played a major role in U. S. military history. In March 1862, the naval Battle of Hampton Roads took place near Fort Monroe between the first ironclad warships, CSS Virginia and USS Monitor. Confederate President Jefferson Davis was also held at Fort Monroe for two years after his capture in May 1865.
The proposed museum system will advance the Museum’s educational mission by broadening the reach of its extensive artifact collection. The visitor sites will reach across the state, concentrating on and complementing existing flows of both historical and recreational travelers. The plan is contingent on support and financing.
The Museum will retain its headquarters, marketing and development functions, research library, and collections storage and conservation and preservation efforts in Richmond. Plans call for the current museum building to remain operational and open to the public for the next five years. The new facilities will be built in time for the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011-2015).
CONTACT: Megan Stagg mstagg@moc.org(804) 649-1861 ext. 13