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<big><big><big>Museum to accept statue</big></big></big><br>
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<div class="articleContentSubHead">Civil War Center says it will take
Davis bronze; use is to be determined<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-08-14-0173.html">http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-08-14-0173.html</a><br>
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<div><span class="articleContentDate">Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 - 12:08 AM</span> <span
class="articleContentDateUpdate">Updated: 08:57 AM</span></div>
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<div class="articleContentAuthor" id="bioByline">By WILL JONES</div>
<div class="" id="bioByline">TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER<br>
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<p>Richmond could get another statue of Confederate President Jefferson
Davis.</p>
<p>But this one might be treated differently from other tributes.</p>
<p>The American Civil War Center announced yesterday that it would
accept a life-size bronze statue of Davis from the Sons of Confederate
Veterans. A final decision rests with NewMarket Corp. as owner of the
museum site at Tredegar Iron Works.</p>
<p>Under the museum's collections policy, the decision comes with no
guarantee of where or whether the statue might be displayed or how it
is interpreted.</p>
<p>Officials said the statue would help fulfill the museum's mission to
tell the story of the Civil War and its causes, conduct and legacies
from the Union, Confederate and African-American perspectives.</p>
<p>A spokesman for NewMarket, parent company of Ethyl Corp., said the
firm had not yet been briefed on the statue proposal and could not say
when a decision would be made.</p>
<p>Christy S. Coleman, museum president, said the statue could be used
to show how the Civil War is remembered. The museum includes a gallery
that focuses on that, examining such popular cultural influences as
"Gone With the Wind" and "The Dukes of Hazzard" television show.</p>
<p>"We are committed to telling the story. Are we committed to
propaganda? No," Coleman said.</p>
<p>For now, the decision is good enough for the Sons of Confederate
Veterans. Group members were angered in 2003, when a statue of Abraham
Lincoln was placed on the Tredegar property by the National Park
Service.</p>
<p>Brag Bowling, a Richmond resident and board member of the Sons of
Confederate Veterans, said he's delighted by the museum's decision. He
hopes to meet with museum officials soon to discuss how the piece may
be used.</p>
<p>"The statue is not meant to be put in a basement, that's for sure,"
he said. "It's a tool that will help their program. . . . I think it's
a great monument for Richmond."</p>
<p>The statue is being prepared by Lexington sculptor Gary Casteel, and
it depicts the Confederate leader standing with his son Joe and with
Jim Limber, a mixed-race orphan who was taken in by the Davis family.
The sculpture is expected to be completed by late fall at a cost of
more than $100,000.</p>
<p>Coleman said the statue is interesting because it depicts Davis as a
paternal figure and was offered by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
"This really became more of an opportunity [to show] how people choose
to remember."</p>
<p>Museum officials expect some backlash. "To a certain degree, that
would have come regardless of the decision," Coleman said.</p>
<p>King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia State
Conference of the NAACP, called the museum's decision disappointing but
understandable, given the criticism that likely would have come if the
statue had been declined. He said Davis and the Confederacy are
offensive to African-Americans because they represent a cause that was
based on enslaving blacks.</p>
<p>"Now, it depends on how it's being deployed," Khalfani said,
suggesting the statue be placed in permanent storage. "If it has a
place of significance in the museum . . . we'll have to see."</p>
<p>Museum officials would not disclose the board's vote but Coleman
said it wasn't unanimous.</p>
<p>"The board has made its decision," she said. "Bottom line, we can
make this work to look at some pretty good legacy issues."</p>
<p><br>
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or <a
href="mailto:wjones@timesdispatch.com">wjones@timesdispatch.com</a>.</p>
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