Creating Collections Conundrums #museummonday

The United Daughters of the Confederacy’s decision to send the collection to Raleigh has had long-term ramifications. 

The first and most obvious one was that, for more than a decade, the city didn’t have a museum and the UDC’s Confederate collection remained in Raleigh and the Hall of History.

That situation began to change in the late 1920s. 

In December 1928, the Rev. Andrew J. Howell, in his role as chair of the local New Hanover County Historical Commission, called together representatives of local government and key women’s groups to discuss organizing a Museum.  

Among the attendees were  Louis T. Moore, secretary of the chamber of commerce, and chairman of the county commissioners, Addison Hewlett.  The vast majority of the attendees at the meeting were women, representing a range of local groups –  the Colonial Dames, The Daughters of the American Revolution, Sorosis, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.   

There were two married couples in the room, suggesting the town was close knit and small.  Reverend Howell’s wife, Gertrude Howell, attended as president of the UDC. Louis Moore’s wife represented the local chapter of the Colonial Dames.

At the December 1928 meeting, the county commissioners agreed to provide space in the Court House Annex for a Museum. 

The Museum was housed in two rooms of the County Court House Annex

Gertrude Howell, in her role as president of the U.D.C.  wrote to Raleigh and asked for the Confederate collection back.   She sent a letter in February 1929, stating that “…at the last meeting of Cape Fear Chapter, U.D.C.. it was moved and carried that the Chapter relics, now in the State Museum, should be placed in our own local Museum, where they, of course, rightfully  belong.” 

Colonel Olds agreed to return things to Wilmington, and the Reverend and Mrs. Howell went to Raleigh to retrieve two boxes of “relics” for the revitalized local Museum.