NORTH CAROLINA FLAGS TO BE CONSERVED

NEWS RELEASE


Press Contacts:

Susan Friday Lamb, 919-807-7943
Tom Belton, 919-807-7952


SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS FUND CONSERVATION OF BATTLE FLAGS AT MUSEUM OF HISTORY

Three Confederate flags that were once carried into battle will now be carefully transported to West Virginia for specialized conservation treatment. These banners, the colors of the 24th, 34th and 38th N.C. Troops, are part of the flag collection at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

Restoration of these flags requires expensive textile treatment, and the N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has helped make this possible. On March 18, the organization, which has 90 camps (chapters) across the state, presented a $28,361 check to staff members at the Museum of History during a brief ceremony. The funds will also be used to purchase a much-needed storage rack for the museum’s conserved flags.

“The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is very proud and honored to be a part of this flag restoration project,” says Tom Smith, Commander of the N.C. Division. “I can state with assurance that our members are dedicated to the work of historic conservation and preservation. We have helped the Museum of History with several other projects and preservation efforts over the years and have enjoyed a productive relationship with the museum.”

According to museum curator Tom Belton, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, along with other groups, have been instrumental in funding flag conservation for the Museum of History in preparation for exhibition during the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial. From 2011 to 2015, exhibits and programs will take place across the state in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina.

After the conservation work is completed for the flags 24th, 34th and 38th N.C. Troops, the N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will present the banners during a dedication ceremony at the Museum of History.

For details about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook®. For information about the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, access www.ncculture.com.

The Museum of History is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, www.ncculture.com.


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IMAGE CAPTION: Tom Smith (far left), Commander of the N.C. Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), presents a $28,361 check to Heyward McKinney, Chief Operations Officer at the N.C. Museum of History. In the back row are (left to right) SCV member Ellis Selph; N.C. Museum of History staff members Jackson Marshall and Tom Belton; and SCV members Frank Powell, Bill Johnson and Robert Thomas.

See website at: ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Susan Friday Lamb
Public Information Officer
N.C. Museum of History
Office: 919-807-7943
Fax: 919-733-8655