Customs House Museum & Cultural Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:          Sue Lewis, Curator of Education
                        931-648-5780



September 2, 2004



Local Residents to Provide an Account of “The Last Confederate Burial”


Clarksville, TN – On Saturday, September 25 from 10:30am. – noon at Customs
House Museum & Cultural Center, local residents Randy and William Rubel,
members of Frank P. Gracey Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #225, will
lead an informative presentation on the recent interment ceremony for the
eight-man crew of the H.L. Hunley submarine.  Brent Dukes and Michael and
Donna Anderson will also participate in the presentation. This free “Family
Day” event is open to the public. Young people are welcome to attend with
an adult, and admission to the museum will be free all day.



The Hunley made maritime history by being the first submarine in the world
to sink a ship during wartime when it sank the USS Housatonic off the coast
of South Carolina on February 17, 1864. After rising to the surface of
Charleston Harbor and signaling the success of the mission to comrades on
shore, the Hunley and its crew mysteriously disappeared, becoming part of
American legend and intrigue.

The search for the Hunley by explorers and treasure seekers began after the
Civil War. Early in the Twentieth Century, P.T.Barnum offered a $100,000
reward to encourage the discovery efforts. More than a century passed
before the Hunley was discovered in May 1995, by archeologists with the
National Underwater Marine Agency, a non-profit, volunteer foundation
established by author Clive Cussler. The recovery effort took several more
years.

On April 17, 2004, the crewmembers of the Hunley were laid to rest in
Charleston, S.C., in a military ceremony which was referred to by many
as “the last Confederate burial.” It was attended by thousands of people
from around the world including the Rubel bothers, Dukes, and the
Andersons. Randy Rubel says the Frank P. Gracey SCV Camp #225 donated a
Clarksville-made iron Confederate cross for each crewmember’s grave.



The “Family Day” discussion will recount the story of the Hunley with
personal accounts and a professional video of “the Last Confederate
burial.” Newspaper accounts of the event and an iron cross like those
placed on the graves will be shown.



The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center is a non-profit museum located
at 200 S. Second St. in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee.  Hours are 10 am-5
pm Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 pm Sunday.  Free parking for museum
visitors is available behind the museum on S. Second Street.

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