Wildman’s sister gets Civil War shop, ending fight over late owner’s estate
The manager of Kennesaw’s controversial Civil War shop has agreed to relinquish the downtown store and several other properties that were subject to a lengthy fight over the late owner’s estate.
But Marjorie Lyon will keep her Tennessee home, along with any proceeds generated from her sale of Lockheed Martin stock that was gifted to her by the store’s longtime proprietor, Dent Myers, according to a settlement agreement filed Thursday.
The Confederate memorabilia shop shuttered abruptly late last year when a Cobb County judge ordered a forensic audit of Myers’ estate amid a legal challenge by the owner’s sister, Janice Bagwell.
Lyon, the judge found, took sole control of Myers’ property following his death four years ago at age 90, breaching the terms of a trust he had set up.
She changed the locks and denied Bagwell access to everything, including the store, Myers’ home, cash, collectibles and other belongings, the judge determined.
Following last week’s agreement, Bagwell is now the sole beneficiary of her brother’s estate, including Wildman’s itself. She receives the title to properties in Cobb, Bartow, Paulding and Cherokee counties that were part of Myers’ trust, as well as property in Torrance County, New Mexico, records show.
But what Bagwell plans to do with the divisive downtown shop remains unclear.
Bagwell’s attorney, Ted Silverbach, said Friday that his client is still weighing her options and considering what to do next. But he said he’s pleased with the resolution that was ultimately reached.
“Dealing with the aftermath of an interesting man’s life is a massive undertaking,” Silverbach said.
Also unclear is what happened to Myers’ two pearl-handled 1911 pistols that the bearded Civil War re-enactor typically holstered on his slender frame.
Both women agreed in the settlement that the pistols Myers famously wore for decades were “no longer at issue” in their civil fight.
Lyon will keep the proceeds of a contentious 2023 sale of more than 1,700 shares of Lockheed Martin Corp stock after showing a letter that said the stocks were a gift from her longtime boss. The sale netted a profit of about $835,000, court records show.
In a filing last month, Lyon produced a letter dated Oct. 21, 2021, in which Myers addressed her as “My Best Gal Friday” and wrote “upon my demise, I, Gen Dent Myers, bequeath and gift any and all holdings and shares of my stock accounts” to Lyon.
Myers said he wanted to give Lyon the stock accounts for years of “tenacity, productivity, dedication and nurturing” of the shop and other things, according to the letter.
Lyon’s attorney did not immediately return a request seeking comment on the settlement. Lyon has maintained in lengthy blog posts on the store’s website that she was simply “honoring and following Dent’s directives” in trying to keep the business open after his death.
Wildman’s, which has sat on Main Street since 1971, has been a source of controversy for decades among residents of the increasingly diverse city. The shop sold Confederate flags, Civil War artifacts and Jim Crow-era memorabilia, and its displays included a Ku Klux Klan hood and a sign outside that read White History Year.
In 2022, former City Councilman James “Doc” Eaton resigned in protest after the city issued a new business license allowing Lyon to reopen the store months after Myers’ death.
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