Paul,

It is a shame that Richmond can't "come to grips" with it's past. We sit on a tourism gold mine here. Millions of dollars are spent in Gettysburg every year visiting a battlefield that saw action for only 5 or 6 days total. Richmond was the center of military action for the Confederacy for over four years. There is not a building in downtown Richmond of significant age that was not somehow involved in the conflict. We have Tredegar, Rockett's Landing, Hollywood Cemetery, Oakwood Cemetery, The Confederate Memorial Chapel, Battle Abbey, and all the battlefields that make up the Seven Days and most of Grant's Overland Campaign are within an hour's drive. Our local leaders and planners, for obvious reasons, are missing the boat.

Keith