The evidence that sealed Mrs. Surratt's fate

[Laurie Verge]

We only get that question occasionally now, and it is usually from people who seem to be confrontational in general. I think we've been around long enough and gotten enough good publicity that people know that we tell both sides of the story (as any good educational institution should). In the early years, however, I had to practically fight my way out of situations where people were accusing us of running a memorial to an innocent woman.

Unfortunately, the early citizens who rallied around and saved the house from destruction by its last private owner (he wanted space for warehouses for his liquor business) did go into the project with the idea of honoring a woman "who was the innocent victim of hysteria." That phrase was actually used on the obligatory bronze plaque that we have on the grounds "honoring" the politicians at the time of the restoration.

Shortly after I finally got the paying job as director of the museum (I had been a volunteer for eight years at that point and had actually trained my predecessors!), I was confronted by a gentleman from Virginia who demanded that we change the wording of the plaque. This is a big, bronze plaque, so there was considerable cost involved. He took his complaint all the way to the governor's office and agreed to pay the cost of a new plaque in order to have his way. It worked for me; I didn't like the wording either; he footed the bill and let me compose the new sentence. It became a win/win situation as far as I (and history) was concerned.

Right now, I can't remember what the new words were that satisfied him; but they are definitely non-commital.