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Spotsylvania officials still hope Civil War museum will be open by 2011, the start of the Civil War's 150th anniversary Date published: 11/30/2009
By DAN TELVOCK Spotsylvania County could end up celebrating the Civil War's 150th anniversary without a museum that tells the stories of the bloody battles. The county has the Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania Court House and the Wilderness battlefields as top tourist attractions. But the Board of Supervisors and county officials have had a tough time with opening a first-class Civil War museum. Terry Thomann, the Civil War Life Museum's director, closed his museum at Southpoint I last week. He simultaneously opened a Civil War-themed store on Caroline Street, where Fredericksburg Historical Prints was located. He is preparing to open by the end of the year a gallery for Civil War prints by artist Mort Künstler, a tintype photography studio with authentic 1865 lenses, and a 3-D theater in the 2,000-square-foot building.
Thomann said the Southpoint location was tucked away in a shopping complex, far from any battlefield. The county owns the building, and Thomann had showcased his Civil War artifacts rent-free since 2001. "The [city] location is just a thousand times better," Thomann said Friday. "This store is going to be a big asset to the city." Thomann said he is still interested in talking with the county about opening a new museum, but he also hinted several times that it will take monetary support to make it happen. He said the National Civil War Life Foundation, which was established about two years ago to raise $12 million for a new museum, meets later this month. Originally, Thomann had planned to move to W.J. Vakos' Courthouse Village project off the State Route 208 Bypass. On Friday, Thomann said a location in that development does not make a lot of sense, either. "As far as I am concerned, the ball is in their court," Thomann said about the county supervisors making a decision.
tourists away from Fburg....we don't need no stinkin' yankee money down heahhhhhh
Not very wise nor welcoming. As far as bike paths and other access, NPS wanted a buffer between the bypass and developed areas to PROTECT the Resource. There is no park infrastructure around the bypass to manage visitation.The biggest problem with the battlefield parks is disturbance and destruction of extant artifacts by relic hunters. NPS does not have resources to station personnel along the bypass boundary. Thomen's "museum" was not professionally done. It looked like a store. No professional staff.
Destroy everything in sight and then complain about lack of tourism. LOL.
Accountability with Tourism and Economic Development? Ha! It was requested by Supervisor Gary Jackson in 2004 and nothing materialized. Numerous public input meetings rich with suggestions bore no fruit. It has been a game of rhetoric for a long time as if tourism is considered an impediment against another agenda.
Expect no champions of this cause in the Spotsy government. There are only those doing the bare minimum of effort to receive the recognition. Case in point the Sesquicentennial Committee. Farce
they have to have a strategic plan - that will cost time and
money.. and require one or more people to execute - and
to be held accountable for accomplishing the specific
goals.
Otherwise..the county is just playing games and using lip
service to try to do things on the cheap.
If they want tourism - they need 2 things - things worth
touring - and a viable strategy.
They've got the former. if they have the latter... I've not
seen it.... on their website....
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