Charles Walls Collection,

This collection contains photocopies and other reproductions of Civil War-related magazine articles and other sources compiled by Charles Walls, a resident of Blacksburg, Virginia and a Civil War enthusiast. The collection, which contains only a few original items, reveals a general interest in the Civil War and its various aspects. The collection's most significant contents, perhaps, are several files on the Ku Klux Klan and related organizations, with articles tracing the Klan's origin and history as well as its activities through the 1990s. The collection also includes a number of articles relating to African-American history and the Civil Rights movement. Other files relate to the preservation of Confederate heritage and include articles surrounding the Confederate battle flag and other controversial issues. Many of these items seem not to have been gathered firsthand by Walls but given to him by another party. The collection also emphasizes the Civil War as it related to Long Island, New York, with articles on military units, events, and individuals.