Museum: ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Car With Confederate Flag To Stay

VOLO, Ill. (AP) — A northern Illinois auto museum says it has no plans to stop displaying a Dodge Charger from the "Dukes of Hazzard" television show with the Confederate flag painted atop the vehicle.

The flag is increasingly viewed as a symbol of racism. NASCAR has banned it and it's being removed from the Mississippi state flag. But the Volo Auto Museum says the famed "General Lee" from the first season of the TV show isn't going anywhere.

Museum director Brian Grams tells the Northwest Herald that he would not remove it any more than he would remove Nazi memorabilia from the museum's military exhibit.

"We feel the car is part of history, and people love it," museum director Brian Grams told the Northwest Herald. "We've got people of all races and nationalities that remember the TV show and aren't offended by it whatsoever. It's a piece of history and it's in a museum."

Grams said nobody has complained about the 1969 Charger since it arrived at the museum in 2005.

"Several people have reached out with positive comments about us leaving it on display," Grams said, "complimenting us for leaving it there and not having a knee-jerk reaction to remove it like a lot of places are."