Dylann Roof visited Greenville Confederate museum

A month before Dylann Roof drove to Charleston to allegedly carry out a deadly attack against church members in a misguided desire to start a race war, he came to Greenville.

He stopped outside the Museum and Library of Confederate History on Boyce Avenue in Greenville to snap a photo.

Then he climbed up a set of creaky wooden steps past flags of the Confederacy that fly outside the museum and stepped inside.

He signed the guest register, May 10, noting he was from Columbia. From his entry, it appears that he came alone.

Inside, he would’ve seen an extensive collection of Civil War-era firearms. Displays show documents from the time. Framed photos show all 48 Confederate generals from South Carolina. He could have purchased a replica of a Confederate flag from the gift shop.

Museum director Mike Couch said Roof’s visit that day must have been unremarkable because he didn’t remember him. Saturday, he saw a photo from a website registered under Roof’s name showing Roof standing outside the museum.

“What he did was reprehensible,” Couch said. “I mean, come on. He was a disturbed young man.”

Just because Roof took a few pictures and carried a Confederate flag doesn’t mean he holds any similarities to the Greenville museum, Couch said.

The shootings in Charleston will undoubtedly hurt the museum’s cause, which is to present and preserve the history of what Couch calls the “War for Southern Independence.”

The privately-run museum has been unusually busy since the Charleston shootings, Couch said.

It’s run by the Sons of Confederate Veterans 16th Regiment in Greenville. A group of 25-30 volunteers keep the museum open, he said.

“We’re here to honor Confederate veterans,” he said.