News

A Letter from the President
of Memorial Hall Foundation

Another challenging year awaits the staff and Board of Directors of Memorial Hall Museum in 2008.  Since reopening on Jan. 6, 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, the museum has struggled with reduced visitor traffic and other issues.  The good news is that two difficult years have been endured, and we are that much closer to a return to normalcy.

Museum traffic increased slightly in 2007, and restoration and repair work on the roof was completed. A new fire escape was required as a part of the old building ownership lawsuit settlement, and work will begin on that project in 2008.

The year began with a special fund raising campaign; a $20,000 matching grant challenge from the Austin (TX) Civil War Round Table.  Friends and members of Memorial Hall Foundation responded heroically with just over $50,000 in donations, and along with the ACWRT award, a total of approximately $70,000 was raised.  These funds will subsidize the day to day operations of the museum, which currently runs at an approximate $2,000 weekly deficit.  The ACWRT campaign total, together with funds raised by Foundation memberships will cover the projected operating deficit for all of 2008.

What awaits Memorial Hall in 2009 and beyond?  Tourist traffic and the return of residents to New Orleans are projected to continue its remarkable recovery, and Memorial Hall is expected to benefit from increased visitor traffic.  Also, the four year sesquicentennial era of the Civil War will commence in 2011, with the 150th anniversary of a series of monumental historical events occurring frequently from the summer of 2011 through the spring of 2015.  Civil War history, both political and military, will again be in the forefront of the general American public, and interest in Civil War history is expected to surge.

The museum’s anticipated financial challenges for 2008 seem to be well in hand, and if we can gain control of our financial burdens for 2009 and 2010, we feel we have—pardon the expression—weathered the storm.

The staff and Board of Directors wish to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported Memorial Hall Museum in the past, whether by donations or by visiting our precious historical shrine.

Sam Hood, President
Memorial Hall Foundation Inc.