Civil War museum closes after feud over Confederate spat

May 26, 2017 at 1:11 p.m. | Updated May 26, 2017 at 1:15 p.m.

by Associated Press

A piece of Confederate memorabilia to General Robert E. Lee sits atop a box at the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum, a small Civil War museum closing in Hampton, Ga., Thursday, May 25, 2017. Against the backdrop of the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces around the South, the closure of the small Civil War museum in Georgia has stirred up strong emotions. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
A piece of Confederate memorabilia to General Robert E. Lee sits atop a box at the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum, a small Civil War museum closing in Hampton, Ga., Thursday, May 25, 2017. Against the backdrop of the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces around the South, the closure of the small Civil War museum in Georgia has stirred up strong emotions. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

ATLANTA (AP) - A small Civil War museum in Georgia has closed its doors and boxed up its artifacts.

The volunteer-run Nash Farm Battlefield Museum in Hampton says it shut its doors because a county commissioner had requested that all Confederate flags be removed from the museum.

But Henry County Commissioner Dee Clemmons says she only asked the group to remove Confederate flags in the museum gift shop that were visible from outside.

County spokeswoman Melissa Robinson said no official county action led to the museum's closure.

The museum sits on a site that's believed to have been a Civil War battlefield in Hampton, about 30 miles south of Atlanta. The closure has rankled residents amid a nationwide debate over whether the Confederate flag symbolizes hate or heritage.

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