A controversial Confederate memorabilia store in Georgia has abruptly closed amid a fierce legal battle following the owner’s death four years ago.
Dent Myers, the owner of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus Store in Kennesaw, died in January 2022 aged 90, and the store’s future now hangs in the balance after a judge ordered a forensic accounting and audit of the late owner’s estate.
The store, which opened in 1971, has displayed racist memorabilia, including a Ku Klux Klan robe and a sign proclaiming “White History Year,” according to the Cobb County Courier.
A legal dispute has since broken out between Myers’ sister, Janice Bagwell, and the store manager, Marjorie Lyon, whom Myers named as co-trustees and co-executors of his estate before he died.
According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the trust included all of Myers’ real estate assets, worth at least $1 million.
After Myers’ death, Lyon reopened the store after she obtained a new business license but in November 2024, Bagwell sued Lyon and alleged that she breached the terms of the trust by preventing her from accessing the store or any other assets, according to the newspaper.
Lyon and Bagwell appeared to disagree about the future of the store. Lyon has reportedly accused Bagwell of “colluding with critics” who want to see the business close, while Bagwell has accused Lyon of trying to “swindle” her out of her inheritance.
The Independent has contacted attorneys for Bagwell and Lyon for comment.
Earlier this month, Senior Judge Adele Grubbs removed Lyon as a trustee of Myers’ estate and ruled that she had breached her legal obligations since his death. In the order, Grubbs ruled that Lyon refused to communicate with Bagwell following Myers’ death and presented herself as the store’s sole owner.
Grubbs also ordered Lyon to hand over all of the documentation, financial information and assets in the trust for an independent accounting and audit of the estate.
The court appointed an attorney to act as a co-trustee alongside Bagwell.
The store has attracted protests over the years and a former city council member resigned after the city issued the license to Lyon in 2022 to keep the store going following Myers’ death.
Bagwell and Lyon are due to appear in court on Friday December 19.
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