Museum debate draws racial line through community
By STACEY GRIJALVA
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Photo by JESSICA HOPPER |
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They were not only on opposite sides of
the issue. They were on opposite sides of the room.
Opinions about the possibility of the Museum of the Confederacy coming
to Lexington split sharply, though not exclusively, along racial lines
at a meeting Monday night.
"This is only going to make for animosity," said Beatrice Johnson.
"Who is this attraction for? Not for us as a black [community]."
Museum President Waite Rawls was in town to answer residents’ questions
and concerns about a potential move from Richmond to Lexington.
Al Hockaday, owner of two local stores, worried about the impact on
Lexington as a whole.
"I think the negative impacts would be more than the city could bear," Hockaday said. As an example, Hockaday predicted minority enrollment
would drastically diminish at local universities because the museum
would erode the town's social climate.
But Rawls thinks it will offer local college students educational
opportunities.
"It's not a memorial or a shrine," he said. "It's a museum and research
center."
Sheryl Wagner, director of marketing for Rockbridge tourism, said there
has been miscommunication about the name.
"You have to consider that the museum is
about learning, not promoting the Confederacy," she said. "Gosh, that’s
over and done with."
The museum is being crowded out of its current location in Richmond by
the construction at nearby Virginia Commonwealth University. Rawls said
the museum, with its $500 million collection, is looking for an
appropriate place that is historic in its own right.
"[Lexington] would be quite a history tourist mecca," Rawls said.
"History tourism…[is] a nirvana from an economic point of view."
Preliminary talks between the Lexington tourism board and the museum
have included the possibility of giving the museum real estate tax
breaks and the current county courthouse, said Brian Shaw of the tourism
board. Shaw called the incentive package normal for enticing businesses
and expects the museum to pay back the city with the first two years’
revenue. Those incentives would require local governments' approval.
Monday's talk was the latest development in the proposal for the museum
to move here. Lexington is one of 12 Virginia sites trying to attract
the museum. The museum asked all sites to file a request for proposal,
called an RFP, by April 15. Shaw said the RFP is the beginning of a long
process.
If the museum chooses to relocate to Lexington, it would bring thousands
of visitors a year, with the biggest economic impact on shops,
restaurants, and hotels, said Shaw.
Shaw estimated that visitors would bring in $1 million a year to the
Rockbridge area. Of that, about $300,000 would benefit Lexington.
Rawls expects an increase in attendance because of an up-tick in Civil
War interest, especially from the baby boomer generation.
Hockaday, as a store owner, said the numbers could not persuade him
because he did not want to sacrifice his soul for money.
"Could the Museum of the Confederacy help my business?" he said. "Sure.
My dignity far exceeds the value, any value, you could possibly get from
the Museum of the Confederacy."
Despite receiving 50,000 visitors a year, the museum does not expect
parking to be a dilemma.
Rawls said he and Shaw have discussed using the not-yet-built courthouse
parking deck as parking space. A study for the museum found that most
visitors to Lexington come during the weekend and summer, so museum
proponents argue that the crowds should not overwhelm city parking
spots.
Because the whole process is only beginning, specifics have not yet been
ironed out.
However, Wagner said Lexington is the first of the 12 cities interested
in the museum hold a meeting like Monday night’s.
Shaw said that there would be plenty of opportunities later for
community members to speak out.
Mallory Douglas, home from college, asked that the museum respect the
African American community in its decisions while considering Lexington.
Del. Ben Cline (R., Lexington), agreed that the museum needs to continue
to listen to community members while it considers Lexington as a
relocation site.
"We have to make sure [the museum is] something that brings more than
just dollars to the area and it’s a museum for the entire community in
addition to those who would enjoy it from outside the community," Cline
said.
Jessica
Hopper reports on Rawls visit to Lexington
Hear
more from Hockaday in opposition to museum
Museum considers move to Lexington
Jan. 26, 2007
Local reaction to talk of museum move
Feb. 9, 2007
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd