The Legacy Museum of African American History
will open its new Civil War exhibit on Sunday, after the June 29 derecho
delayed plans to open last month.
“We had a wonderful wine and cheese reception the
Friday night the storm came,” said Dianne Swann-Wright, who curated the
exhibit, “Trouble Don’t Las’ Always, African American Life in Central
Virginia During and After the Civil War, 1860-1890.”
“We had a chance for just a few people to go through
and see it, so we were really looking forward to the next day when it
would be open for the general public,” she said. “We were just on pins
and needles and made the decision that we just couldn’t welcome people
without power. It was so hot that day.”
The museum, located onMonroe Street, lost power for
five days, but Swann-Wright said there was no damage to the building or
grounds.
“We had a tent that had been set up, and that was
blown away,” she said. “But it was recovered, and it turned out that
that wasn’t a problem.”
She said concerns about more severe weather contributed to their decision to wait a month to reschedule.
“We didn’t know if the power was going to be back
on, and we didn’t know if there would be another storm coming,” she
said. “Hopefully people will be in town, and they’ll be looking for
something to do [this weekend].”
The exhibit, which will remain up for two years,
depicts how daily life, work life, worship and education evolved for
African Americans during and after the Civil War. More than 90
artifacts, collected from the community and donated from other museums,
will be on display.
“[We’re] just very eager to have people see what it
is that we’ve been working on,” Swann-Wright said. “I can’t wait to talk
to people who actually have artifacts in the exhibit. To see how long
everyone stands in one spot, which artifacts will be their favorite.
“I’m looking forward to hearing a lot of ‘wows’ and ‘I didn’t know that.’”
The reception is set to run from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (434) 845-3455.
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