Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy May Move to Lexington

The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting this morning that the MOC may move to Lexington.

"The mission of the museum is consistent with the historic attractions and educational institutions already in our community," said Lexington Mayor John Knapp.

This, in my opinion, would be a brilliant decision and a perfect match. For obvious reasons:

• The Confederacy's best known and best loved Generals, Lee & Jackson, are both buried in Lexington.
  
• The two schools that each General was associated with (W&L and VMI) are both in Lexington.
• The city is proud of its Civil War heritage and history and their efforts in preserving their architecture, history, and memory of the past has been a priority. Lexington is most deserving of the honor.
  
• The synergy created by this move, should it come to pass, would be unsurpassed anywhere in America regarding WBTS history, and would make Lexington a virtual Mecca for Civil War historians and tourists interested in that period of our history.
  
• And, last, but not least, I live only 30 minutes from Lexington making my research on future and current books much easier. :)

Also, Richmond city officials and members of the legislature have not been very helpful in assisting the MOC as it suffered a precipitous decline in visitors in recent years. You could even say that these officials are largely to blame--allowing MCV to build high rise buildings which surround the MOC, making it almost impossible for tourists to find and a hassle for parking. Last year, the General Assembly promised to assist with a $750,000 cash infusion to give the MOC time to decide how to address their crisis. But, when the bill was finally passed, all but $50,000 had evaporated. The General Assembly was too busy spending bucket fulls of our money in tearing up the historic grounds of the Capital for their own purposes. Unfortunately, this attitude reflects a growing disinterest with preserving our history by many in elected office. I hate to say it, but it would serve the city right to have the largest collection of Confederate artifacts leave the former Confederate capital and move to where they would be more appreciated - and welcomed.

(I would encourage readers to consider joining the MOC-click here.)