Dear List Members,

Recently I posted a message re: the Virginia Company, a catalog and web-based gifts company out of Warrenton that sells Civil War artifacts. Following are copies of my original letter to them, as well as the response I received yesterday. It's pretty clear from the response that the company needs to hear from more of us on this issue. Please take it upon yourselves to write them. The address can be found in my letter; the web address is http://www.virginiacompany.org. Thanks for your support.
Carole Nash, COVA President
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1 November 2001

The Virginia Company
45 Main Street
Warrenton, VA 20186

Dear Virginia Company,

I am writing on behalf of the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA), the organization of professional archaeologists in the Commonwealth. At our most recent meeting, one of our members informed us that your company is currently selling Civil War artifacts through your 2001 catalog and that some are also available through your web page:

"Authentic Civil War Bullets"
Choose from 3 sets of Civil War relics uncovered on private Virginia farmland. Set of 4 bullets, set of 2 bullets with buckle, or set of 2 bullets and 2 roundballs. Details of area of discovery are printed on each box indicating the troops they probably belonged to.
#16371 Set of 2 bullets & 2 roundballs $24.95
#9781 Set of 2 bullets & buckle $22.95
#9137 Set of 4 bullets $20.95

"Civil War Antiquities"
Collectible combination of an authentic Civil War Bond Coupon, a photograph of Robert E. Lee , and 3 bullets found on actual Civil War battlefields--all framed together under glass. Solid wood frame in black.
#12013 $74.95

The Council of Virginia Archaeologists strongly discourages the sale of artifacts of any kind, and we respectfully request that you consider removing these offerings from your catalog and web page. While the product descriptions state that these objects were "recovered from private Virginia farmland' (the implication being that taking the artifacts from private land, as opposed to public land, validates the removal and protects The Virginia Company), the indiscriminate looting of archaeological sites is one of the greatest threats to our Virginia heritage and has especially put our Civil War heritage at risk. Very simply put, the sale of these objects by your company supports the destruction of Virginia history.

This is especially ironic in the case of The Virginia Company, which trades on Virginia history and states in its company description, "We at The Virginia Company are proud to stand up as Virginians and Americans. We are proud of who we are and of where we came from." If you, and other companies such as yours, continue to sell these artifacts and support the destruction of archaeological sites, it will become more and more difficult for all of us to understand and appreciate Virginia's past.

We hope that you will consider our comments and remove these items from your catalog. I will be happy to meet with you to further discuss this issue.

Sincerely,


Carole Nash, President
Council of Virginia Archaeologists
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
MSC 5701

(540)432-6864
nashcl@jmu.edu

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>Dear President Nash:
>

>> Thank you for your thoughtful communication on behalf of the Council of
>> Virginia Archaeologists. In principle, we agree wholeheartedly with the
>> sentiments expressed, and whether to offer these Civil War bullets for sale
>> has been a decision not taken lightly.
>> >
>> > As you are well aware, Civil War artifacts lie just about everywhere in
>> > Virginia. As a boy, I used to spot them in plowed fields. As farmland
>> > becomes, alas, developed, lots of collectors search where the bulldozers
>> > have been. And it is from one of these collectors that we obtain the
>> > bullets.
>> >
>> > Our thinking is that this is a better outcome than any other realistic
>> alternative. By
>> > saving the bullets before they are lost forever, recording where they
>> > came from, and then offering them for sale, we at least help instill a
>> > sense of appreciation for the nation's heritage. And so they will be
>> > treasured by whoever orders them, rather than being effectively
>>destroyed to
>> the benefit of no one.
>> >
>> > I certainly understand if you do not agree with this argument, which
>> > sees some value in the popularization of history when the archaelogical
>> > context can't be purely preserved. But as a preservationist myself, I
>> > have reluctantly come to accept the logic of the argument.
>> >
>> > Many, many thanks.
>> >
>> > Sincerely,
>> >
>> > Walter Nicklin
>> > Managing Partner, The Virginia Company
>

>P.S. Should you ever happen to be in the Warrenton area, where our catalog
>operations are, please stop by, and I or my partner, Willis Logan, would be
>happy to meet, over a cup of coffee or whatever, and discuss things further --
>for I believe our ultimate interests are the same.