Confederate Memorial Hall is a museum located in New Orleans, Louisiana containing historical artifacts related to the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War. It houses the second largest collection of Confederate Civil War items in the world, behind the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. The museum's building is known as the "Battle Abbey of the South" due to its elaborate stained glass windows and distinctive church-like architecture. It is the oldest continually active museum in Louisiana. Jump to: navigation, search For information on the events of Hurricane Katrina, see effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4... Jump to: navigation, search The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right... White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, built in 1818, photo circa 1939. ... Jump to: navigation, search Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. ...

History

Confederate Memorial Hall was established in 1891 by New Orleans philanthropist Frank T. Howard to house the historical collections of the Louisiana Historical Association. The museum quickly accumulated a vast collection of Civil War items, mostly in the form of personal donations by veterans. In 1893 the museum hosted a wake for the exhumed body of Confederate President Jefferson Davis attended by over 60,000 mourners before it was transported to Davis' permanent tomb in Richmond. A reunion held at the building attracted 30,000 Civil War veterans - one of the largest of such gatherings ever held. Jump to: navigation, search 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Jefferson Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American soldier and politician. ...

Collections

The Confederate Memorial Hall contains over 5,000 historical artifacts including several rare Civil War items. It holds the personal effects and uniforms of Confederate generals Braxton Bragg, P.G.T. Beauregard, and Franklin Gardner as well as 125 historical battle flags from the Civil War. Jefferson Davis' wife Varina Davis donated several of her late husband's belongings to the museum including several items of clothing, his suitcase, his saddle, and a rare letter to Davis containing an enclosed crown of thorns from Pope Pius IX. Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard (BO-rih-gahrd) (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893), best known as a general for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was also a writer, civil servant, and inventor. ... Varina Howell and Jefferson Davis wedding picture Varina Howell was born to Virginians William B. Howell and Margaret Lousia Kempe on 7 May 1826 in Natchez, Mississippi (In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Biloxi, Harrison County, Mississippi, Varina Daviss place of birth was listed as Louisiana; her... The Blessed Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, ( May 13, 1792 – February 7, 1878) was pope for a record pontificate of over 31 years, from June 16, 1846 until his death. ...

Building ownership dispute

For much of its existence the Confederate Memorial Hall's building has been the subject of an ownership dispute that has involved numerous court battles and the involvement of several Louisiana political figures including Governors Huey Long and Mike Foster. The dispute has revolved around Howard's original donation of the building to the Louisiana Historical Association, which read "It is with deep satisfaction that I perform the act of formally putting into your possession the Building, which, while it is an Adjunct of the Howard Memorial Library Association, is to be set apart forever for the use of your organization." In 1930 the adjoining Howard Library sought the museum's building space to store portions of their collection. Governor Long negotiated a compromise in which the museum permitted the library to store some of its books in their basement. Jump to: navigation, search Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1935), known as The Kingfish, was an American politician of the Democratic Party; he was governor of Louisiana (1928–1932), Senator (1932–1935) and a presidential hopeful before his assassination. ... Murphy J. Mike Foster, Jr. ...

In the 1940's the Howard Library outgrew its facilities and relocated to Tulane University. It's building was sold shortly afterwards and, after transferring to several owners, was donated to the University of New Orleans in the early 1990's. The old Howard Library building and a nearby property neighboring the Confederate Memorial Hall were then converted into the Ogden Museum of Southern Art by UNO. The location of Memorial Hall in between the two Ogden buildings gave rise to the latest dispute over the property, as visitors to the Ogden museums would have to exit each building and travel outdoors around the Memorial Hall to reach the remainder of the collection. A solution was proposed in which a tunnel between the two buildings through the Memorial Hall basement would be constructed and a proposal was drafted by Confederate Memorial Hall, but UNO withdrew from the negotiations in 1998. This event led to a land dispute over the title to Memorial Hall in 2000 when Tulane University, having absorbed the Howard Library, sold a title to the Memorial Hall building to UNO, which it claimed to possess as the former owner of the Howard Library properties. In 2001 the UNO foundation announced its claims to the Confederate Memorial Hall building and initiated efforts to remove the museum from the premises. A series of court battles ensued in which title ownership to the property was granted to UNO, however efforts to evict the museum were stayed by the courts on bonds. Jump to: navigation, search Tulane University Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... The University of New Orleans, often called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

As the case proceeded through the appellate processes Louisiana Governor Mike Foster intervened into the dispute and assisted in the drafting of a compromise between UNO and the museum that would allow Confederate Memorial Hall to remain in its historic building. In August of 2003, at Foster's direction, both parties agreed to drop pending lawsuits to the building in exchange for fulfillment of a compromise agreement. Per the agreement, UNO is required to cede its title claims to the Confederate Memorial Hall museum's land and building in exchange for the construction of a connecting tunnel through the basement as was proposed in the 1997 plan. The compromise is to be implemented in full within 10 years time, or upon the completion of the tunnel, depending upon which comes first.[1]

External links

Confederate Memorial Hall