Organizers of a proposed history center focused on the Civil War and Reconstruction will gather public input Thursday and Friday on the content of exhibits and other plans for the facility.
Information panels on those plans, which are still in the preliminary stages, are posted in the fellowship hall of Highland Presbyterian Church, 111 Highland Ave.
The N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction would be built on the grounds of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historic Complex off Arsenal Avenue in the Haymount Historic District.
The information panels have been posted at Highland church since Monday and will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Viewers will be able to write comments on the panels.
An information session was held last week at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church on Murchison Road.
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Some critics of the planned history center have questioned whether it is appropriate to spend millions on a project focused on the Civil War, which has been a divisive topic particularly in today’s combative political climate.
The projected cost is a total of $80 million, with the state legislature providing $60 million in its latest budget and the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County each pledging $7.5 million. Part of the city’s contribution would be land.
The City Council has not yet given final approval to its funding.
Organizers say the history center will focus on historical accuracy and education to tell the story of the Civil War, emancipation, and the Reconstruction era.
History center officials have said the facility will be state-owned.
