Confederate complaint prompts change at St. Augustine wax museum

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A display of presidents at a local wax museum is raising some eyebrows because of who is being placed alongside some of America’s greatest heroes.

Potters Wax Museum is in the heart of the St. Augustine historic district and says it is the oldest wax museum in the United States. Right now, it shows George W. Bush as the last president in its presentation, not President Obama. But nearby, it does have a mold of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Action News Jax reporter Ben Becker has learned that, after he started asking questions, changes are now being made. An Action News Jax viewer sent us a photo of the U.S. presidents’ exhibit. Off to the side is Confederate president Jefferson Davis, with the Confederate flag behind him.

"They expressed some concern about that," said David Chatterton, the general manager of the Old Town Trolley Tours, which runs the museum. He said it was the first complaint they have received in the two years during which they have owned the museum.

"If we offended one person, we offended one too many. So we're going to be relocating Jefferson Davis to the Civil War display, which I think is much more appropriate," Chatterton said.

In addition to Davis, there are also such figures as Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler in historical sections. Just two months ago, the museum unveiled a wax figure of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We asked why there's not a wax figure of President Obama and were told there wasn't one when the company purchased the museum two years ago. The first one the current owners created was of Dr. King.

The museum gave no timetable as to when the Davis statue will be moved to the other section or if the Confederate flag will be put back up.

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