The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-10
CONFEDERATE RECORDS.
HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM FOR
THEIR PRESERVATION.

with Its Purchasc-The Names of
the Regents and Vice Regents.
other Facts of Interest.
1t will be a matter of pride as well as
OF qualification to every true southerner
TO know that a museum for the preserva-
ton of relics and records of the Southern
Confederacy is an established fact
At their recent annual meeting. held in
Richmond, the members of the Southern
Associated Press, on invitation, visited
the Memorial Museum. which is located
in the house formerly occupied by Jeffer-
son Davis, and known as the white
House of the Confederacy." and so struck
were they with the great work that had
been accomplished, and OF which so little
is known even in the south, that a reso-
luton was adopted appointing a commit
tee to prepare an article upon the museum
which should be published in all the news
papers represented by the Southern Asso-
ciated Press.
This great and noble work was inspired
by Mrs. Joseph Bryan in 1880, when she
was elected president of the Hollywood
Memorial Association, and has been car
ried successfully on with untiring zeal by
the women OF Richmond and the south.
The plan was to secure from the city Of
Richmond the house which had been &C.
cupied by President Davis and his family
during the war. and to establish therein
a museum for the whole south. The
house. which was erected in the early
days of Richmond in what was then the
most fashionable part of the city, was
one of the handsomest of that time 1t
was built by DR.. John Brockenbrough
CSl7-'1s). He sold it to Mr.. James M.
Morson, who added the third story, stuc-
coed the house, and adorned II with the
beautiful Carrara marble mantelpieces.
1T was next sold to his cousin and law
partner, James A. Seldom, who was mem
Der of congress from Virginia, member
of the Peace congress held Jan. 10, 1861, in
Washington, and Secretary of War of the
Confederate States. of America. Just be-
fore the war il was sold again; this time
10 Mr.. Lewis d. Crenshaw, of the Haxall-
Crenshaw Mills. When the confederate
government was moved to Richmond, the
city bought il for $4,000 and rendered it
10 President Davis. He declined to re-
ceive 1t, but consented to occupy 1t on the
condition that full rent should be paid, the
Confederate government making the first
payment June 10, 1861
At the evacuation Gen. Godfrey Weitzel
and staff rode Immediately to the house
and took possession of IL as headquarters
for Federal troops. 1t was used as such
under Gems. Candy, Ord, and others dur
ing the time Virginia was known as Dis
trict No. 1. While in command of District
No /, Gen. Candy, but for the efforts of
the citizens and some friends in Rich
mond, would have turned the building over
10 the Freedman's bureau to be used as
negro normal school On Sept. 8, 1870, -
was restored to the city, and in 1871 was
given for the use of public school
To secure this house for a museum, a
new society was formed and chartered.
May 81, 1890 under the name of the con-
federate Memorial Literary Society. A
memorial asking for the house, signed by
the ladies'. was presented to the city coun-
Gil by Maj. Capers.
In order to meet certain legal require
ments, the literary character was given to
the society. and the word literary" was
Incorporated in the name. There was
embraced in the plan proposed by the
ladies a clause to secure records, histori-
cal matter and literature of the south,
and the Southern Historical Society was
afforded a habitation in the building.
on Dec. Sth, Col John B. Cary offered
resolution for an appropriation for new
school building, and the delivery of the
White House of the Confederacy to the So
ciety for the museum and library as soon
as the new school house was ready.
On Jan. s. 1891, this ordinance passed the
council of the city of Richmond.
In the spring of 1891 it was proposed to
make an effort to raise money in the fol-
lowing fall. The association which had
in charge the erection of the private SOL
diers' and sailors monument had not sue
ceeded in collecting a sufficient sum to
complete that work. and applied to the
memorial society to hold a joint bazaar.
The museum was only the sequel to the
story of the dead soldier and his monu
ment AS the lfe-work of the Hollywood
Memorial Association was to perpetuate
the memory of the soldier who fell in bat
tie, they could not refuse to aid in erect
Ing this monument to all the private SOL
diers-living and dead. Their circulars
calling upon the other states to aid in the
work of making this a museum for the
whole confederacy had been prepared.
These were destroyed and other gotten
out including an appeal for both the mon
ument and the museum. These circulars
were sent to every paper in the southern
states including Maryland and Kentucky.
In October, 1892. the preparations for the
memorial bazaar began, and Mrs. f. ID.
Hotchkiss was elected president of the or
eanization. Instead of tables, each state
of the confederacy was to have tent
under the charge OF chairman and COM
mittee, who should enter into communi-
cation with people in the respective states
they represented, asking for contributions
of all kinds, money, articles, etc, stating
the whole plan of the museum and that II
was to be for the whole south. That this
movement received the hearty indorse-
ment and cooperation of all states was
shown by the magnificent sum of $4,000
which was realized,
FIFTEEN thousand dollars was at once put
IN the soldiers and sailors monument
which was unveiled on the S0th day of May
1898. the memorial day of the Hollywood
Memorial Association. The remaining
$4,000 was put into the treasury of the
Confederate Memorial Literary Society, tc
await the turning over to it of the build.
Ing.
on June 3, 1891, this was done by Col
John b. Cary chairman of the school com
mittee, in presence Of the school board
the mayor, the ladies of the society, anc
Its advisory board of gentlemen, and was
accepted by Mr.. Joseph Bryan, of the ad.
visory board, on behalf of the society
Tho btfifdinp has been restored to the an