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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A history center that examines the North, South and African-American perspectives of the Civil War agreed Wednesday to accept a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from a Southern heritage group.
The American Civil War Center said the $100,000 life-sized bronze likeness was being accepted with no conditions on its display, and it could end up in storage.
"The statue clearly is an iconic figure for many," said Christy S. Coleman, president of the private center on the grounds of a former munitions factory that forged cannons during the Civil War.
Despite the caveat, a spokesman for the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans was surprised and pleased by the statue's acceptance.
"All I can say is this blows my mind because I thought all along they weren't going to take it," Brag Bowling said. "I say this is a wonderful beginning and hopefully we can make the deal work."
The center offers what it bills as a balanced historical perspective on the Civil War, reflecting the Union and Confederate viewpoints as well as those of black Americans. Its 10,000-square-foot display area does not include statuary and focuses more on interactive stations.
John H. Motley, chairman of the board, said the Davis statue "has the potential" to complement the center's collection, which includes thousands of items in storage.
He said its placement in the center would be left to center staff and educators.
"It may or may not go anywhere," Motley said.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans group celebrates the South and its role in the war. When it first offered the statue this year, some suggested the Davis statute was payback for a statue of Abraham Lincoln that was dedicated near the center in 2003 amid protests.
"It's not meant to even up the score," Bowling said, adding that the group just wants Davis' story told.
Lexington artist Gary Casteel includes in the work a little-known but much-debated aspect of Davis' life. He is depicted with his son, Joe, and a mixed-race child, Jim Limber, who was taken in by the Davis family.
History is unclear on Jim Limber's role in the family. On a photo of the child is a note believed to have been written by Davis' wife, Varina, stating that Limber is a "great pet in the family."
Jefferson Davis is interred at Hollywood Cemetery, where thousands of Confederate soldiers are buried in a hilly expanse overlooking downtown Richmond and the James River.
Richmond, a majority black city of approximately 200,000, has 152 outdoor sculptures depicting figures as diverse as Edgar Allen Poe, St. Francis of Assisi and Robert E. Lee, according to an inventory by the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.
Among the most spectacular are the statues of Confederate figures that line Monument Avenue, a broad boulevard bordered by grand homes. At least a dozen statues in the city are Confederate in theme, and three include Davis.
The Civil War remains a touchy subject in this Southern city. When five mayoral candidates were asked to weigh in on the gift statue they all straddled the fence, the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote in an editorial. The newspaper editorial asserted that Davis' statue "would not be a welcome addition" the city's landscape.
Casteel is expected to complete the Davis statue in November.
This is where the curators earn their money. How the interpret Old Jeff with their comments on the accompanying sign makes a big difference. They can't martyr him as the president of the lost cause. I would make it very PH neutral and sterile.
Graduated West Point, class of '28 and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1845, he resigned in 1846 to command the Mississippi Rifles during the Mexican-American War where he served under Zachary Taylor. Post-war, he briefly served as a senator for Mississippi. Davis was Secretary of War under the Pierce Administration and was elected back to the senate when Pierce lost his bid for reelection. President of the Confederacy during the war and incarcerated at Fortress Monroe. While held for treason, he was never tried and afterwards retired to his estate, Beauvoir in Biloxi, Mississippi where he wrote his history of the Confederacy. His wife, Varina, was smarter than him and was very charming and able to hold her own in discussing politics.
Gary, I believe it was the city of Richmond that added the statue of that great American Arthur Ashe to the Confederate 'row'. Seems to me that if that worked, your sentence should certainly be considered. These folks in Richmond are only superseded by the idots in Memphis in terms of their strange notions. I'm not a particularly excitable Davis fan myself, but he did have a place in the history of the war. Same as John Bell Hood at Franklin who is identified on Winstead Hill a couple of places, but can't seem to rate a statue by several local votes. The Davis statue work appeared to be of rather high quality from the photos we've seen. I would think it would draw a few tourists and civil war buffs. I believe Verina's comments were made as positively as she could. (Somehow I remember her as daughter?) Gotta keep in mind that she was living 140 plus years ago. The times, they are a changing, hopefully.
__________________ Ancestors in US Army: 13th TN Cav; 10th TN Cav; 3rd NC Inf
Ancestors in CSA Army: 48th VA; 63rd VA, 5th NC Cav; 37th NC
Wife and Grandson's CSA: 15th AL, 51st GA, 41st TN; 36th TN; GA Mil 1197 Dist
Arthur Ashe is there on Monument Blvd. I would disapprove as he's only a tennis player. Tennis (or any other sport), who cares? I'd rather have Collin Powell up there instead. I suppose it was Ashe's break-through that counts but there were others who preceded him like Jackie Robinson.
As for Jeff, I'd put him inside of Tredegar Iron Works. Inside so he wouldn't be vandalized and at Tredegar so he can be close to Abe and Tad.
Gary, Collin Powell was a general and a leader of men. More than one could probably say with accuracy about Davis. History needs to be taught to our young'uns with at least a bit of accuracy. If that happened, the griping might subside just a bit. Apparently that's one of our national pastimes.
__________________ Ancestors in US Army: 13th TN Cav; 10th TN Cav; 3rd NC Inf
Ancestors in CSA Army: 48th VA; 63rd VA, 5th NC Cav; 37th NC
Wife and Grandson's CSA: 15th AL, 51st GA, 41st TN; 36th TN; GA Mil 1197 Dist
My preference to Colin Powell was in respects to Powell being a person of African descent like Ashe. To me, Colin Powell is more deserving of a monument on Monument Blvd. than Arthur Ashe as I care nothing for sports or sports figures.
I thought he was invited to be president and never stood a popular election. Any information on that?
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
As if Jefferson Davis wasn't? Seems like folks smarter than you or me thought he was a leader.
Ain't many folks alive or dead smarter than Larry. He likely got his smart genes from his ggpappy, James Patterson Cockerham.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Forgot about the Davis statue. Definitely ought to be included. Can't study history without studying all of it.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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Civil War Center accepts donated Davis statue 
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