
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 3, 1991                   TAG: 9104020622
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

RICHMOND TO QUIT ATTEMPTING TO HIDE CIVIL WAR HERITAGE

Richmond tourism leaders have reversed an earlier stance on the Civil War and elected to capitalize on the city's role in the conflict.

Officials had been uncertain for several years about whether they should promote Richmond's Civil War heritage. Their concerns included how black people and out-of-state tourists would perceive historical events and sites of the war.

However, last fall's broadcast of "The Civil War" documentary series on the Public Broadcasting System has served as a catalyst for reconsidering Civil War-related promotional efforts.

"We realized the fact that this is something that people want to see," said Terri Kiel, director of the Metropolitan Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It may not be something that we are particularly proud of - and some may be embarrassed by it - but it is a part of American history."

With help from history experts at Living History Associates, the bureau and Advante Advertising have developed advertisements that don't try to hide Richmond's Civil War heritage.

Laura Crick, production and media director for Advante, said the promotion of the Civil War in Richmond "has been such a political hotbed that we finally decided to take it by the horns and say, `Look, we are the capital of Confederacy.' "

by CNB