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FW:Civil War Library & Museum of Philadelphia



Fumo Announces Plan To Keep Contents of Civil War Library and Museum In 
Philadelphia

Feb. 2, 2002 -Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo announced Friday 
afternoon that a plan has been devised to keep the document and artifact 
collections of the Civil War Library & Museum of Philadelphia intact, 
preserved and in the city, although not in the library's current location or 
under control of the present board. 

For background on the recent situation with the Library & Museum, see links 
to CWi's previous coverage of the issue at the end of this story.

The following press release was sent from the senator's office to the media:

Sen. Vincent Fumo, Rep. James R. Roebuck and the Military Order of the Loyal 
Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) have submitted to Philadelphia Orphans' 
Court a ground breaking proposal to keep the historically significant 
collection of the Civil War Library and Museum (CWLM) in Philadelphia, and to 
ease the financial pressure that prevents the CWLM board from properly caring 
for and displaying the artifacts and documents.

The plan was developed by a group of public and private institutions within 
Pennsylvania. Fumo and Roebuck, both Philadelphia Democrats, and MOLLUS, an 
organization of Union Officers and their descendants which founded the museum 
in 1888, submitted it Wednesday to the Court and the CWLM board for approval.

Fumo, Roebuck and MOLLUS became actively involved last February in an effort 
to prevent the priceless collection now housed in Philadelphia from being 
transferred to a new museum planned for Richmond, Va. Last March, with their 
support, the Pennsylvania Attorney General obtained a stay from the court 
that prevented CWLM from moving any part of its collection outside the city.

"The plan that we have submitted to the court will, I believe, end the grave 
threat to the existence of the collection," Fumo said. "It will save a 
historical treasure that belongs to Philadelphia and in Philadelphia."

Fumo praised the work of the parties who created the stewardship proposal - 
The Abraham Lincoln Foundation of the Union League of Philadelphia, the City 
of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, The 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The National Civil War Museum in 
Harrisburg, and the Union League of Philadelphia - and said it refutes the 
claims of current CWLM management that Philadelphia is not a Civil War town.

"The effort exerted by so many people to put this proposal together shows how 
much they appreciate the role that Philadelphians played in the Civil War, 
and how much they want to share that historical and cultural knowledge with 
the general public," Fumo said.

"This proposal represents an important opportunity to develop a more publicly 
accessible venue for the collection, as well as providing immediate care to 
protect the integrity of these historically important artifacts," asserted 
Roebuck. "I urge the Court and the CWLM to join us in supporting this 
worthwhile effort."

If accepted by the Court and the CWLM board, the proposal would end the 
litigation related to the future of the collection.

The CWLM, located at 18th and Pine Streets in Philadelphia, is a repository 
of donated and loaned military artifacts and documents, most of which 
belonged to Union officers from the city. It includes items from General 
George Gordon Meade, commander of the Union forces at Gettysburg, and from 
Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Ulysses S. Grant, both of whom were 
northern generals. In establishing the CWLM, MOLLUS sought to remind future 
generations of the sacrifice that Philadelphia veterans made in an effort to 
preserve the Union.

In 1986, MOLLUS turned over operation of the museum to a non-profit board. 
Since then, the CWLM has consistently been in financial difficulty, which 
helped prompt the board's decision to transfer part of the collection out of 
state. Fumo and Roebuck believe that the financial problems facing the board 
have prevented it from caring for and displaying the collection in a 
professional manner. They are also concerned that the collection is at risk 
of degradation.

"It is particularly gratifying that the regional cultural community has 
stepped forward to give such generous support - ranging from expert 
consultation to financial contributions - to this proposal," said James 
Bennett Straw, President of the Abraham Lincoln Foundation. "We must keep 
this important part of our heritage where it belongs. Clearly our cultural 
partners agree."

"As the number of sales of Civil War books suggest, no episode in American 
history is more central to understanding who we are," said David 
Moltke-Hansen, president of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. "Another 
reason for the Society to join in this effort to save the Civil War Library 
and Museum is because of its commitment to the City's and region's history."

"The proposal that we are offering honors the original wishes and intentions 
of the donors and serves the public trust by assuring that the collection 
remains in Philadelphia, and that it is cared for in accordance with the 
professional standards set forth by the American Association of Museums and 
the Society of American Archivists," said Brent D. Glass executive director 
of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The ultimate goal of the plan is to establish two new facilities in 
Philadelphia, one for the CWLM's books and archival records at the Union 
League, and another facility for exhibition of artifacts.

To achieve that, the Stewardship Plan calls for the following steps:

* The Court will assign responsibility for oversight of the CWLM collections 
to a Board of Stewards. As its first act, the Board of Stewards will 
undertake a comprehensive inventory and condition assessment of the 
collections by a team of qualified professionals.

* Once the inventory and condition assessment is completed, the 
three-dimensional collection (artifacts) will be placed in a secured, 
climate-controlled museum storage facility. The two-dimensional collection 
(principally books and records) will be packed and moved to the Union 
League's building, to be joined with the League's extensive Civil War 
collection. Once CWLM's two-dimensional materials are in place, the Board of 
Stewards will transfer its stewardship responsibility to the Lincoln 
Foundation. The materials will thus become available to students and scholars 
through the Union League's Library and Archives.

* By the spring of 2004, CWLM's two-dimensional collection and the Union 
League collection will become even more broadly available through a new 
Center for Civil War Studies located on the third floor of the League. The 
Center will be open to those with an interest in Philadelphia's Civil War 
history, and will enable expansion of the Lincoln Foundation's many Civil War 
heritage activities currently offered to the public.

* At the same time, the Board of Stewards will develop a case statement and 
capital campaign for exhibiting the CWLM's three-dimensional collection in 
Philadelphia. An Advisory Board that will include qualified Philadelphia-area 
institutions with sizable Civil War holdings will assist the Board of 
Stewards in this initiative. The goal is to create an exhibition facility 
that will assume continuing stewardship of the CWLM three-dimensional 
collection in Philadelphia and display the extraordinary Civil War material 
culture not only of CWLM, but also of other institutions throughout the 
region, the Commonwealth, and the nation.

* Once the collections are inventoried, assessed and safely secured, the 
Board of Stewards will follow up with a "due diligence" review of the other 
assets of the CWLM, exclusive of the collections, and oversee disposition of 
those assets, the proceeds from which, if any, will be used to create an 
endowment dedicated to care of the collections in perpetuity.

* To assure public access to CWLM's three-dimensional collection during the 
interim period while the Stewards develop the Philadelphia Civil War 
Exhibition Center, stable items in CWLM's three-dimensional collection will 
be available for temporary loan agreement to qualified institutions seeking 
to exhibit them. The National Civil War Museum has expressed interest in 
exhibiting these items in its Temporary Exhibition Hall.

The parties that developed the proposal envision that each of them and MOLLUS 
will be represented on the Board of Stewards.

"As the founder of the CWLM and the historic caretaker of the collection, 
MOLLUS is extremely gratified by the tremendous effort and commitment the 
Stewardship Proposal represents," said Herbert K. Zearfoss of MOLLUS. "It is 
difficult to imagine a better opportunity to enhance the collection and 
secure its place in the future of our city and region."

"The organizations that created this plan possess the expertise, credibility 
and commitment to carry this project through to completion. We feel confident 
that the plan is in line with the intent of the donors and in the best 
interest of the CWLM collections, the region, the commonwealth and the 
public," said George E. Hicks, chief executive officer of the National Civil 
War Museum in Harrisburg.

"The parties who devoted substantial time and effort in crafting this 
proposal should be congratulated for this accomplishment," said Carol 
Lawrence, Deputy City Representative, Art and Culture. "The two new 
facilities will enhance Civil War scholarship in the region, and allow for a 
broad new array of programs for students and adults to enrich their 
understanding of Philadelphia's place in Civil War history."

Fumo, Roebuck, MOLLUS and the other parties expressed hope that the CWLM 
board would accept the plan, so that work can begin immediately to preserve 
and strengthen the collection. If the CWLM board declines, the case would 
proceed in court.

    There is also an articlde in last friday's Inquirer(2/1/02) 

                  http://www.philly.com 
  
                    Inquirer webpage

                        Local News page B9   Aiming to Keep it Here by 
Stephen Salisbury






    

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