Thursday, August 30, 2012

My Great Summer At Fort Fisher-- Part 5: The Blockade Runner Museum and Chris Fonvielle

Taken from my journal. 

JULY 29, 1982

"I went to the Blockade Runner Museum in the morning.  I am sorry to learn that they will be closing the place down at the end of this year.  They say they are not doing enough business in their present location and they are selling the building to a church.  Then, they will either move the collection to a site near the USS North Carolina or perhaps near Fort Fisher.

There is some hope that the state will buy it but that is not likely because of the budget tightening.  There is a distinct possibility that the collection will be broken up which will be an unfortunate eventuality should it occur.

The Foards, I found out, never owned the B-R, but operated and helped construct it.  The real ownership rests with a group of private investors.  Jim Legg and Chris Fonvielle were working in there.  Chris is very involved with Fort Fisher and has recently spent $300 getting half of the O'Sullivan pictures of Fort Fisher printed from their original negatives.

We spent some time examining the prints in detail with a special magnifier.  We picked out two torpedoes lying at the Mound Battery that looked just like the one at the Fort Fisher Museum.  He is also making up a chart of the Union order of battle for both battles.  He makes me look like I don't know anything about the battle."

Meeting Mr. Fort Fisher Thirty Years Ago.  --Old B-Runner

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