[I have a pic of the necklace if anyone wants to see it write me offlist please, Nena] http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/community/dptown_necklace_0718jul18,0,6995430.story A piece of history transformed Sue Rogers donated a necklace carved from the wood of the ship Merrimack to a local museum. By SHANNON HUMPHREY | 757-247-4795 July 18, 2008 Back in the 1950s, Susie Kirkpatrick donated an old family heirloom – passed down to her from her mother – to the old Syms-Eaton Museum in Hampton. The necklace, thought to have been made before or after the Civil War, consists of glass beads and wooden cubes carved from the wood of the ship Merrimack. After the museum closed, the necklace eventually made its way back to the family in 2007. Sue Rogers, Kirkpatrick's daughter, received the necklace that at one point in time her mother, grandmother and probably great-grandmother once owned. "I knew my mother had donated the necklace to the Syms-Eaton Museum, but I never knew what happened to it. I began calling different museums to see if they had a record of it, and was able to track it down," Rogers said. After the necklace was delivered to her, Rogers decided to donate it to the Hampton History Museum. After the Syms-Eaton Museum had closed, its collection was given to the Hampton History Museum. Rogers donation was just helping the necklace, in a way, return to its previous home. "Both my mother and grandmother spent most of their lives in Hampton, so I thought the necklace belonged in Hampton," said Rogers. "It's important for the people of Hampton to have every facet of their history told. It's not just about the necklace, but the people who owned it and the stories they have to share." Rogers believes these stories can articulate times in Hampton's history, so that community members can have a better account of the history of where they live. Mike Cobb, curator at the Hampton History Museum for 25 years, was excited to receive the donation. "We see a lot of things come through, and every once in a while you'll get a prize," Cobb said. "The necklace is a reminder of the great epic in the historic Battle of the Ironclads. It's a kind of holy relic of the South, because of all the stories and history, like this battle, that are tied to it." "The Merrimack was revered in the South when it was built, so to have something salvaged from that important piece of history, makes the necklace a relic of holy proportions," he said. Much of the history surrounding the piece and how it was carved from the Merrimack is oral however, ongoing research by the Hampton History Museum and others, suggests that the necklace was carved from the salvaged Merrimack after it was sunk. The museum, which also has a gavel carved from the wood of the ship Merrimack, was intrigued by the form of the object. "We've seen things carved from the wood before, things like gavels and plaques, but never anything like this," said Cobb. "Whoever salvaged the wood found a way to commemorate a part of history, while at the same time making a personal adornment to brighten someone's life." Cobb and the museum plan on placing the necklace in the temporary exhibit in the near future for the public to see. Cobb and Bethany Austin, registrar at the museum, are still in the process of researching the piece. When asked the estimated value of the piece, Cobb said "the artifact is so unique and literally one of a kind, so it would be extremely difficult to place a monetary value on it." There is some controversy surrounding the necklace, as to whether it was carved from the wood of the original Merrimack — the Union ship that was sunk during the Civil War — or its reincarnation as an ironclad after being recovered and recommissioned by Southern forces as the CSS Virginia. "At the time of the evacuation of Norfolk by Union forces at the beginning of the Civil War, the United States Navy burned Merrimack and sank her to preclude capture," said Rogers. "The ship was subsequently raised by the Confederates and rebuilt as an ironclad ram, the CSS Virginia." Cobb and others at the Hampton History Museum tend to think that the necklace was carved from the wood of the ironclad ship, since the opportunity for salvaging was greatest during this time. However, they are still investigating the piece. Rogers agrees that there were a number of times when the Merrimack was undergoing repairs or reconstruction, in which wood could have been salvaged and used for mementos like the necklace. "I'm never surprised at being surprised any more," said Cobb. "You never know what's going to turn up in the process of your research, which is one of the reasons I love my job." The Hampton History Museum wants to make sure that not only the necklace is seen by the community, but that the stories behind it come forward and can be shared with the Hampton community. "There's a difference between an object and an object in context," said Cobb. "When you put an object in the context of the people who made it and owned it, the piece then turns into a precious possession, very telling of the time and people who once owned and used it." History of the Merrimack •Best known as the hulk upon which the CSS Virginia was built during the American Civil War, the ship took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the "Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack". •Merrimack was launched in 1855, commissioned in 1856 •Merrimack was burned and sunk by the U.S. Navy, to preclude capture by the Confederates, after Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861. The Confederates, in desperate need of ships, raised Merrimack and rebuilt her as an ironclad ram. The ship was later recommissioned the CSS Virginia in 1862. The ironclad was the hope of the Confederacy to destroy the wooden ships in Hampton Roads and end the Union blockade.