Editorial & Opinions [January 2006, Thanks to the editor of the Civil War News: http://www.civilwarnews.com/ for sharing my information in their January edition]
White House Is In the Right Place
TO THE EDlTOR:
"Federal, state, and local expert preservationists are not "buying into" the "gloom and doom" justification for impairment of this National Historic Landmark [White House of the" Confederacy] on the Register of Historic Places in America. Other solutions have been recommended to the Museum of the Confederacy (MoC) leadership, and I would like to provide that testimony to our interested community.
Recent expert testimony provided to the State Legislative Committee by Lamb, Dotts, Kilpatrick, and from others across the country is documented at: http://www.petersburgexpress.com/sellmoc.html
Professionals from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the National Park Service, and local preservation groups have suggested alternative solutions to the MoC and others. These groups along with the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans Executive Council representing' thousands of members across Virginia have condemned any impairment of the White House Landmark by the MoC leadership.
It appears to many of us here in Virginia, and to others beyond that the MoC Board and Executive Director must be living on another planet from the mainstream of professional expert preservationists. Preservation is their MoC mission, but it seems to mean something else to Mr. Rawls [executive director] and other MoC leadership as represented by their testimony.
As John Ruskin wrote in the 19th century: "Old buildings are not ours, they belong partly to those who built them, partly to the generations of man, and those who follow us. The dead still have their right to them: that which they labored for, we have no right to obliterate.”
Hmmmmmm, who are these “dead?”
As you may already know, early in the last century a group of honorable Southern women saved the While House, the Southern President’s home and office during the war. This story of the Confederate Memorial Literary Society’s aka The Museum of the Confederacy history is at:
Shared with all American today, the White House Landmark designation is a rare honor with a significant meaning and purpose. As has been stated, “There is no magic elsewhere” for this landmark.
These honorable women worked through hard times during World War I, the Depression, World War II, and through other hard times to save and present this historic landmark for you and me. Destruction of their work would be disgraceful.
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What kind of people would do that? Do we just have a bunch of frumpy old men who can’t manage it properly today? If not, then Mr. Rawls' quote below about the proposed site is very flawed:
"It's probably the most important military site in Civil War Richmond”, said Rawls. "It’s clearly the birthplace of the Army of Northern Virginia, and it's where we want to move."
By such a statement would he suggest that Douglas Southall Freeman, our ancestors, all the other war veterans, historians, and preservationist from the past and present must have “missed the boat" over the period of 140 years?
Mr. Rawls, and the MoC just can’t ”make up" a new White House “Landmark" as he seems to suggest. It would seem that Mr. Rawls and the MoC board have "discovered America" and suggest that the expert preservationist are just dead wrong. By comparison to the current White House location on Clay street, when we look at the proposed move site area, I venture to say that most folks would say: Whaaaaaaat? Are they crazy?
During the four State Legislative Committee meetings, Mr. Rawls provided no worthwhile plan that I or anyone else could see.
In conclusion, my intent in sending this letter is to provide more facts to better inform the public of a more serious threat to this rare designated National Treasure.
We have a lot to loose! An inquiry to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources online or by mail can also provide public information specific to the National Landmark designation and more. Thank you for your review of this information.
G. Ashleigh Moody, III
Petersburg, Virginia"
