By Staff
Myers’ memorabilia to be sold this weekend
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles &Features Editor
A unique piece of Washington history will go on the auction block this weekend in Raleigh.
A scrapbook dated 1898 and belonging to the late Penelope (Penny) B. Myers — who was born in Washington in 1874 — is scheduled to be sold on Saturday during an auction set to begin at 10 a.m. The sale is being handled by Tory Hill Auction Company.
The scrapbook contains memorabilia from the United Confederate Veterans’ eighth annual reunion, according to Jason McCoon, the company’s owner and auctioneer. Myers was the North Carolina sponsor for the event, which was held July 20-22, 1898, in Atlanta.
Many of the more than 20 letters preserved in the scrapbook were written by prominent North Carolinians and Civil War veterans, including the Rev. Nathaniel Harding of Beaufort County, McCoon said. Featured is correspondence from James Sprunt, Junius Davis, William Lord DeRosset and William J. Woodward, all of whom figured prominently in the 1898 race riot in Wilmington.
Myers was 24 years old at the time of the reunion. She was related to several prominent North Carolina families — in addition to the Grimes family, her kin included the Branches and the Blounts — and she considered herself an admirer of the Confederate veterans and the Southern cause, McCoon said.
Also featured in the scrapbook is a copy of Washington’s 1898 “Confederate Reveille,” which is a history of the town itself. The publication contains information about local soldiers who served during the Civil War as well as a story from Captain Myers.
The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings detailing the reunion. McCoon lists the collection in “fair to good condition.”
The United Confederate Veterans organization was founded in 1889, joining together veterans groups from various states. Its stated mission included providing support to Confederate widows and orphans.
The scrapbook’s contents have been removed from its original binder, McCoon said. The items are now stored in acid-free archival sleeves.
For more information, contact McCoon at 919-858-0327 or www.toryhillauctions.com.