I would like to take a moment to address an issue that has come to my knowledge today. Several bloggers have commented (here and here) on a couple articles that recently appeared in The Free Lance-Star in regards to the closing and relocation of the Civil War Life Soldier’s Museum here in Spotsylvania. As I am available to speak officially for the National Civil War Life Foundation, I will use my blog to comment.

Although these bloggers are thoughtfully commenting on what they have read online, there is some unintentional misinformation being shared that requires clarity. (I emailed some update info to Kevin Levin, who thankfully brought the blog discussions to my attention, but he has not commented on it yet.) The two FLS articles quoted are located here and here. They may present the notion that the museum and related foundation are severing all ties to Spotsylvania County and moving on to other things. This is incorrect, although there is partial truths in these "changes." Here are the facts:

Yes, Terry Thomann has indeed closed the original Civil War Life Soldier’s Museum in Massaponax and moved his entire gift shop (and a portion of the museums’ collection and attractions) to Old Town Fredericksburg in what used to be the Fredericksburg Historical Prints store. This move took place simply as an economic necessity as the old location was not generating the anticipated business. As the economy continues to suffer, so do historically-themed establishments that rely on tourism. The NCWLF’s Spotsylvania museum venture and Mr. Thomann’s gift shop are two different entities (although they are intertwined as the existing artifact collection belongs to the proprietor of both.)

In order to stay in business, a move was an absolute and when the downtown location became available, Mr. Thomann took it. In retrospect, Terry admits venting some of his frustrations to the first article's reporter and regretfully they made it into the story. The writer was simply quoting what he thought were decisions that had already been made. They were not and Terry has met with individuals from the county and the situation is being discussed en route to being resolved. There is a NCWLF board meeting coming up in a few weeks and I will be sure to update both the media and readers here of new information as it becomes available.

The bottom line is this: The National Civil War Life Foundation is still on the same mission, to build an all-inclusive museum that tells the entire story of the Civil War from all sides. We are still looking at Spotsylvania as a location. We are planning on holding some special events at the new store location to generate additional interest in this project. We are still sponsoring the documentary film on Richard Kirkland that is slated for release in February 2010. We are in talks with Mort Kunstler’s rep about having an exclusive gallery section at both the existing and future locations. We will be updating the website soon to reflect these minor changes that do not affect our mission. And we want to assure all of our supporters that our prime directive remains:

To operate a national museum and research center that preserves and interprets the human story of the American Civil War and connects the lives of all people of that era to the Nation today.

Like many of our area's business owners, Mr. Thomann is doing whatever he has to in order to financially take care of his family. Costs were stacking up and the visitations were dropping. This relocation from a secluded strip-mall in Spotsylvania to Fredericksburg’s main street will hopefully help him fulfill his needs. Our job as a foundation is to stay focused on opening a new museum and we will continue to work hard to accomplish our goal. Once again, this article (and this move) has no bearing on the NCWLF's intent or vision. It simply means that a new gift shop is now open in downtown Fredericksburg with one of the largest inventories in the area. This shop also offers CW artifacts and exhibits, a working tin-type photo studio, and a Civil War in 3D photography show. 

Hopefully that can set the record straight for now and the responsive bloggers will caveat their posts. They weren't wrong, they were simply commenting on articles that echoed the emotions of a man who is trying to gain some sense of financial security and provide a service to the community. Any additional questions can be sent to me directly and I will be more than happy to comment (if I can).

Thank you.
Michael Aubrecht
Vice-Chairman, NCWLF

ADDED: Of course I wouldn’t suspect anything less from Mr. Levin who I cordially emailed twice today in an effort to prevent him from spreading misinformation. Beyond apologizing for a recent post that I directed at him then removed, I also tried to explain what was going on as I am an insider. He was kind enough to post this:

Update: This morning I received additional information from a member of the museum’s Board of Directors. For a number of reasons I am not going to include that information since it is so confusing that I can’t make heads or tails of it. One wonders whether this individual even knew about the closing before this morning. I am more than happy to provide a link to an official statement on the museum’s website. It is curious that a statement wasn’t posted before this recent decision was made.

What a class act... YES Kevin, I knew. Once again, you have proven that you are a jerk and I wish you nothing but the best. The very fact that you refuse to reply to my communications or acknowledge or inform your readers of my post-explanation reveals that your own personal dislike of me supersedes any integrity on your blog.