Supervisors asked to reconsider denial of Civil War Museum funding

At the March 18 Appomattox County Board of Supervisors meeting, opposition was voiced to the board’s previous decision to not fund the American Civil War Museum at Appomattox (ACWM-Appomattox) in fiscal year 2025.

On March 5, when the board voted on various funding requests, a motion was made and backed by two other members to not include $15,000 for the ACWM. Supervisor Ken Wolfskill’s motion was backed by fellow supervisors John Hinkle and Trevor Hipps but not supported by Samuel Carter and Alfred Jones III.

Bill Jamerson, who in 2022 was elected as the ACWM-Appomattox fundraising committee chairman, expressed his disappointment with the decision and asked the board to reconsider.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed and how hurt I was when I read that. I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut,” he said. “The museum is a non-profit organization, and I don’t know of any museums in this area, and maybe even in the country, that operate and sustain themselves without public and private funding supporting them.”

Jamerson said that after being elected, his goal was to raise $500,000 over five years, and that the county supervisors granted a request for $75,000 in September 2022. The fundraising committee started canvassing the local community — citizens, foundations, and whoever they thought could help raise funding — and exceeded their goal with $520,000 over the next several months.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.