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Ernest Blevins

Ernest works was born and raised in Spartanburg South Carolina. He holds a BA in Studio Art, BS in Anthropology from the College of Charleston, MFA in Historic Preservation (Savannah College of Art & Design) and a Certificate in Public History (University of West Georgia). He is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (former Georgia Historian, current camp commander in West Virginia) and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (past local Monuments and Graves Registrar, present national GAR Records committee). In 2009 he grew interested in Confederate and Union Monuments while participating in the 100th anniversary of the Carroll County Monument. In 2010, he researched and produced a video “Always Looking North” (shown at the Dixie Film Festival in Athens, Georgia and on YouTube), and a brochure. He works as a Structural Historian in Review & Compliance at the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office and occasionally consults outside of West Virginia under Blevins Historical Research. Before moving to West Virginia, he resided in Villa Rica, Georgia. He writes a regular history-oriented column for the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail. Ernest lives with his wife, Lisa, and their six children in Charleston, West Virginia.

What Lee Said About Monuments in 1869 Blog

What Lee Said About Monuments in 1869

A frequent argument against Confederate monuments is a “sound bite” of a quote from General Robert E. Lee in 1869 in some variation to “I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war.”   The time of the event and the Monument Movement is significant.  Understanding this connection changes the meaning of the "sound bite" entirety.  Here's the…
Ernest Blevins
September 2, 2020
The Real Reason for “Civil War” Monuments Blog

The Real Reason for “Civil War” Monuments

In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released the “Whose Heritage?” report on the Confederate symbols in the United States.  This report had one thesis: The Confederate monuments, memorials, and namesakes were erected during the “Jim Crow” era to vindicate white supremacy without consideration of other factors.  The report was based on undocumented sources, but the charting of monuments…
Ernest Blevins
November 7, 2019