HERITAGE NOT HATRED!
First of all let's deal with the real. When I first asked my husband if he wanted to attend this museum with me, he immediately said no, so I told him that he could just drop me off. He would not consider this so he agreed to go. When I asked him why he did not want to go initially, he could not give me an acceptable answer. He admitted that his response was largely due to media influence. I appreciated his honesty and did not pursue the matter further.
So today was the big day and I was very excited because I had been looking forward to this visit for several weeks. I had chosen not to see the museum in Columbia because I thought that this one would offer a more intimate experience and I was right. It was awesome!
As you enter this little museum through the rear, you immediately encounter a wall of photos of Confederate soldiers. On three separate walls, there were photos of the Greenville soldiers, Carolina soldiers and soldiers from other states. There is a lot to take in. I really like studying the faces of the soldiers and reading their stories whenever possible. On your left is a library of books and research materials so if you needed to do some research or get more information, you could inquire of the men in the library. From the looks of this museum, the people who work and hang out here really eat and breath their history. While we spent most of the time just wandering and looking at the various displays, our tour guide was right there giving us detailed information about what we were seeing and answering our questions. He was very knowledgeable and gave great information that I would not have really thought to ask about.
The men who run this museum are very passionate about their heritage and history. I was very impressed with the various collections, (weapons, uniforms, medical supplies, the first prosthetic leg lost in war, Confederate money, supply kits etc.) The items were carefully displayed in plexi-glass, (which made it difficult to take pictures), along with detailed descriptions. The museum did a great job of including information about the black and Native American soldiers who also fought with the Confederate Army. In addition, there was plenty of written information on slavery, Lincoln, black Confederates and several other issues that you may want to explore further. This material was absolutely free.
One of the special exhibits was the inclusion of information regarding Ms Mattie Clyburn Rice, the oldest living daughter of a Confederate soldier until her death in 2012. Her father was a black Confederate soldier and she was formally recognized by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
I was very impressed with this museum and will definitely return when I am again in the area. I would highly recommend this museum to anyone who needs, wants or simply desires to know more about the Civil War and the Confederate Army. If I had to write a college paper on this subject, I would start at this museum.
Oh yeah, my husband had a great time hob-nobbing with the guys and exploring the museum.
An open mind can lead to unexpected pleasures!
Don't forget to leave a donation so that it can be used for expansion or furthering the exhibits and library. This experience was way better than the experience we had at the state museum which was $14 a piece. Lesson learned. read more