Contractor Chosen for New Branch of the Museum of the Confederacy

J.E. Jamerson awarded bid to build Confederate Museum
STEPHANIE A. JAMES
Wednesday, December 15, 2010


The Museum of the Confederacy has selected J.E. Jamerson and Sons as the general contractor to build the satellite museum in Appomattox.

J.E. Jamerson and Sons was selected after the museum interviewed a handful of other contractors.

"We were very impressed by Jamerson's track record," Rawls said on Friday.

Rawls added that the museum board members were particularly impressed with Jamerson's institution building.

"We are excited to be chosen as the general contractor for the Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox," said Phillip Jamerson, President of J. E. Jamerson and Sons according to a press release. "The Museum will be important to the economic development of Appomattox as well as to the region."

J.E. Jamerson and Sons has constructed churches, banks, and residential buildings.

Some institutions that J.E. Jamerson and Sons has built includes Appomattox Health Dept. Appomattox Courthouse Building, Southside Community Hospital Endscopy Renovation in Farmville, Jamerson Family YMCA in Lynchburg, Merryman Athletic Center at Virginia Tech and Thomas Jefferson Health Facility in Charlottesville.

J.E. Jamerson has also completed renovation and restoration work at Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park, also known as the Surrender Grounds.

Along with the museum's announcement of a contractor last week, the museum also announced that it has selected Rigg Ward Design of Richmond as its exhibit designer.

Rigg Ward Design has done work for the Smithsonian as well as worked on exhibit projects for The Library of Congress, The Atlanta History Center, South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Site work is scheduled to begin in January if weather permits, said Rawls. The museum is slated to open Spring 2012. When the museum is completed, the museum will be 11,000 square feet.

In 2007 when requests for proposals were sought by the museum, Appomattox was competing with other localities and some people were wondering if the museum would even locate to Appomattox.

Rawls said that all the plans are coming to fruition.

"People did not believe it was going to happen. Now it really is," said Rawls.

In September, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at the future location of the museum at the six acres of property where Burge Road and Horseshoe Road cross off of State Route 24.

Three years ago, the museum announced that Appomattox was chosen to be one of the satellite museums after the Richmond-based museum was seeking a new location after experiencing a decrease in visitors, financial hardships, and the expansion of Virginia Commonwealth University.

The museum will display Civil War artifacts and end of the Civil War themed items like Gen. Robert E. Lee's uniform and the pen that Lee used to sign surrender documents.

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