Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-22
HOME OF JEFFERSON DAVIS /,
. ATTRACTS many VISITORS
Contains Greatest Collection OF Con-
fetierate Relics Now In
Existence.
MANY PRICELESS MANUSCRIPTS
Old Huilding Has Had Many Historic
AssOciatfOns---Now Maintained as
Real Shrine OF Confetieracy by
Women of South.

MOST interesting S!ynt around Rich
mond- Ii the visitor comes from the
north OF the Mason and Dixon line.
or Is Of foreign birth. there viii be
no hesitancy In the answer.
Why. the Confederat Museum. OF
course"
And this is true
For every Richmond man. woman or
child of Southern birth who visit the
White House OF = the Confederacy,"
tnerc are two visltors from the North.
West or foreign shores. This Is fully
borne out by an inspection OF the
r"Gister In the big museum. Less than
"ne-Jhiru OF the names are those OF
people whose descendants fought for,
~ swore allegiance to tho lost cause.
And yet the Confederate Museum
houses the biggest and most important
collections OF Confederate relics and
ineinentoes OF any single rince In the
South. II Ia the real shrine or the
confeitracy and hours are spent with
IN the historic mansion by visitors from.
the North. and hours could be profit
able spent there by the pcopir of Rich
nond.
No VISITOR FROM NORTH
oMfTs~ CALL 81 MUSEUM
The fame of the museum baE spread
through the North, and no visitor to
Richmond feels that the visit IL COM
piete without going through IT.. During
tie recent convention OF the American
Dunkers' Association, hundreds OF the
delegates visited the place daily, and
set thc entertainment committee. com
posed OF local men. knew I'D little OF
- location that the tickets OF admit
nncc had It's address wrong Recent
conventions Or Southern men have been
4e.e. 5u; there vas no visible inCreasc
.n attendance during the visits
'fne museum is housed IN the his
tOric rcsilcncc 81 Or 8rockcnborouvi
AZ Twelfth and Clay Streets. II IL
beautiful example of the nntiDcllcm
.. NJ "a "a ,..,tI .t...r .-U.
trance and vide sweeping porch, with
its mussivc columns, overlooking the
rclr garden. The house vas sold to
the city Of Richmond la iSG2 for the
ace Of the Confederate -governnaut.
rbe city had Furnished IL and offered !;
40 president Dayls, but he had ilrully.
declined 10 accept the gift II was
inen rented and occupied by him and
MS ranlily until the evacuation OF Rich
'nond on April :, 1885,
II was tn this house that President
Davis held frequent conferences with
General Lee, General Jackson ard other
Srcat lenders Ills daughter. Winnie.
vas boJ, here. and II was by q fall
son. Joe. lost his life.
Here also Abraham Lincoln. presi-
Gent OF the United states. WAS received
On his visit To Rlchmond just a few
days prior to his assassination. Con
sal Godfrey Wctzel. IN command OF
the Federal troops, took up his head
4uarters IN the buildin,, after the
Evacuation. ana for tive years II was
occupied by the Federal government.
In 1880 fifteen women. members OF
lie Hollywood Memorial Association,
after gathering the dead from many
uattleHelds and rcinterring them ga
hollywood. determined 10 pcrpetuate
the memory OF Il Just cause and the
leeds OF their heroes. by collecting IN
. museum. rslics, ernblems. documents
aud other memorials OF the war Mr..
Joseph Bryan headed this body, and the
Confederate Memorial Literary Society
WAS the outcome.
WAS USED As PUBLIC SCHOOL
ron MANY YEARS.
The Davis mansion had been used
>! the city for Il school. Colonel John
=. Cary Was elected to the city Coun-
III for the express purpose OF getting
th> building for museum. He found
that this could not he done until n
new school WAS erected, and through
mis- efforts the present Central School
was erected and the society was given
possession of the historic mansion.
After taking out 3ll OF the floors and
stud beams and substituting concrete
and putting FL iron staircases the mu-
scum was made as frcproof as any
standing building cc-ild. Then began
Jhe gathering of the thousands OF rel
les and priceless documents. The build
ing was thrown omen to the public in
icSb. Hc SERVICES were
held on February 90, by Rev Moses
- Hose. ID. D. General Bradley 7.
Johnston, c. S. A, made tic Grafton.
and Colonel Charles t. O'Farrei! the
Governor Of Virginia, and his staff were
present.
The first money raised for tie estab-
lishment OF the museum came from n
big bazaar held in conjunction with the
committee which erected the Soldiers
and Sailors Monument on Libby Hill.
Merchants from all over the South con-
tributcd to tho cause, and railroads
and express companies hauled the do
nations without charge. More than
$31.4o0 was secured. and half of this
went TO the museum fund.
WORKING on PLAN
For ENDOWMENT OF ROOMS
At the present time the revenues are
derived from door fees. Each visitor
is charged % cents except on Satur-
days when the admittance is free. The
society is now, however. working on 4
plan OF endowment which will put
the museum on such footing that II
will not need TO depend on outside
sources for it's maintenance.
The plan is simple. There are If
teen rooms In the building. Each OF
the seceedtng States has one three
border Sta;es. Maryland, Missouri and
Kentucky, have one. and the largest
room is known as the Solid South.n
The society is now working on n prop
ositon to have each State endow It's
room to the extent of $4,000. Two
States have al: eady done so, and In
Guiding a general endowment Of s1O.-
900. the total amount now invested by
the society is 523614.37.
Each of the rooms has a regent re-
siding in the State it represents. whose
duties II is to solicit and collect coli
tributions OF both relies and cash. In
addition, vice-regent resides here
.>pnd has absolute control over the room
and it's contents. A house regent has
charge OF the building.
: Thousands OF fpSmentoes OF the war
are to be seen in the various rooms. In
tho Virginia room can be seen the
hats, conts. saddle and accoutrements
OF Generals Lee, Jackson and Stuart. a
coat stained with the blood of Jackson
il exhibited, while two Of the plumes
that EraceQ the hat of the dashinr