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Let Spotsy's Civil War museum tell all stories

August 23, 2009 12:57 am

THE 150th anniver- sary of the Civil War will begin in 2011. This historical milestone is a great opportunity for Spotsylvania County to take advantage of the influx of tourists who will be traveling to Virginia to visit Civil War sites. The National Civil War Life Foundation plans to open a new museum in the new Spotsylvania Courthouse village area and needs local support from both governmental and private donors. It is our belief that an area as historically significant as Spotsylvania County deserves to compete with other notable Civil War sites across the country.

Museums such as ours do not just serve our respective home communities; they ultimately draw thousands of visitors. These tourism dollars help to support the local economy and vital governmental and community services. Without a Civil War museum of its own, Spotsylvania is not taking full advantage of its legacy.

The National Civil War Life Museum's mission is to operate an inclusive museum and research center. We firmly believe that a museum should present all sides of the Civil War story and the experiences of all Americans, whether they were civilians or soldiers, fought for the North or the South, were white or black, free or enslaved.

This inclusive approach is evident, not only through our curatorial programming, but across our entire organization. Our current board represents all walks of life including black, white, male, female, military, and civilian. We are unified in of our mission to convey the human story of the Civil War.

The current National Civil War Life Museum has been serving the county for almost 10 years while providing quality exhibits and historical interpretation at a reasonable cost to the community. For the past three years the museum has also served the Spotsylvania school system's summer enrichment program.

We are very grateful for the county's continued support and believe that we will be able to provide even better service to both residents and visitors with this proposed expansion. The current museum will have the space necessary to grow into one of the nation's premier Civil War facilities once it is relocated to the Courthouse village area currently under construction.

This spot is adjacent to the Spotsylvania battlefield where no museum is available for tourists. Our plans and our mission have already garnered the support of artist Mort Küntsler, the Civil War Preservation Trust, and several prominent historians and scholars.

The Museum of the Confederacy's intermittent interest in opening a branch in Spotsylvania County has stimulated interest and concern regarding its mission, focus, and what this facility will cost county taxpayers. The National Civil War Life Foundation acknowledges the impressive collection of artifacts housed at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. But we contend that the demographic represented by this fine collection is limited.

Our mission embraces the idea that Spotsylvania's Civil War experience impacted not just the Confederate States of America, but all Americans. The goal of the National Civil War Life Museum is to attract a broad spectrum of visitors from across the United States and abroad--people who will come and spend their tourism dollars here in Spotsylvania County.

Time is short to get this project under way. It is hoped that the Board of Supervisors will make a decision soon regarding what type of museum will best serve our area. It is important that the residents of Spotsylvania County let their supervisors know that they choose the National Civil War Life Museum, as some county resources will be required to supplement our foundation's fund-raising efforts.

For more information on this endeavor, visit civilwar life.org. Help us tell the complete story of America's Civil War.

Terry Thomann is director and Michael Aubrecht is the vice chairman of the National Civil War Life Museum.