A word from SCCRR Director, Allen Roberson

[paulcalloway]

Posting on behalf of Allen Roberson:


I would like to express to all living historians and folks associated with this web site how grateful I am for your support of the acquisition of the McRae Archives by the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. Your support will insure that the McRae Archives remains whole and available to scholars of American history throughout the world. This collection will also be the foundation of an engaging and scholarly exhibit on imported English Confederate equipment for the National Civil War Sesquicentennial in 2011 that will reflect positively on our Civil War history and heritage. We hope to eventually travel this exhibit beyond the state of South Carolina

The S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum has long enjoyed a wonderful and reciprocal relationship with the living history community, especially those living historians who strive for a high degree of professionalism and accuracy of interpretation. Our collections often form the basis for your research which in turn leads to new historical discoveries that in turn benefits us – the custodians of Civil War material culture. It is a wonderful and mutually beneficial arrangement and we feel like the information that the McRae Collection will eventually yield will lead to some of the most significant and exciting discoveries in recent memory.

We will keep you posted on developments regarding the eventual access to and exhibition of this great collection. Please be patient as it will take months to inventory and process, before it is made available to the public - if we are successful in our fund-raising. However, we confident that the McRae Archive will yield much information on equipping the Confederate soldier in the field. On behalf of the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, thanks again for your support. Please come visit us whenever you can.

W. Allen Roberson, Director
South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
Columbia, South Carolina

[Allen Roberson]

Many thanks to Casimer J. Rosiecki III for a recent (end of October 2007) donation to help the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum acquire the McRae Papers. This donation was very timely as our museum will be facing our next payment of $50,000 at the end of the calendar year to keep this great collection and make it available for serious researchers like Authentic Campaigner members!

Museum Curator of History Krissy Dunn is currently developing a schedule for processing the collection. I am sure that many exciting discoveries about the contents of this collection await our staff who will be involved in the processing. We will keep you informed about our progress! Thanks again for your continued support!

[dusty27]

Allen,

I will send along the $1,358.00 that members here have donated to the ACPP over the course of this year.

If you can give and want to do so electronically, please send PayPal donations to dustyswb@verizon.net

[Allen Roberson]

That would be great!! Sorry I have been so late in responding - we've been working night & day on opening a major new exhibit and remodeling. Fundraising has been dormant, but I am about to crank it up again as we have another payment of $50,000 due at the end of the year. I would very much appreciate you sending the check for $1358 and making it out to:
SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
c/o Allen Roberson
301 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Thanks very much for your efforts!! After I receive it should I post a public acknowledgement? Also I was recently notified by Bill Cross of a donation to the museum in the memory of David Culbertson and suggested that it be used to help purchase the McRae Papers. He is reviewing the literature we sent him on the collection. I think that would be a fitting tribute. Thanks!

[dusty27]

Allen,

I've made the request for funds from the ACPP Paypal account and the check should go out next week.

Thanks

[Iron Scout]

Dusty,

Many thanks to you and all who have donated to this worthy cause. The acquisition of the McRae Papers may very well change our perceptions of the blockade and Confederate aquisitions abroad. As living historians, the relevance of this collection to our specific impressions is nothing short of amazing. It is my hope that the Relic Room will continue to give us a few more glimpses at the Papers to foster discussion within our LH ranks.

Thanks again to Dusty and all the AC staff who have backed this project from the start.

Regards,

Neill Rose
PLHA