Wandering Around Washington: Historical Society Calls for Reuse and Preservation of Confederate Memorial | Govt. and politics

Abingdon City Manager Jimmy Morani may have said “no” to moving Confederate memorials from the Washington County Courthouse to city property.

But the president of the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia, maintains his position.

Move the Confederate Generals monument to the section of the Unknown Confederate dead at Sinking Spring Cemetery, Historical Society president Walter Jenny said at the Nov. 18 city council meeting.

And move the Confederate Soldier Statue – and its base – to the Veterans Memorial Park, Jenny said.

Now, before I tell you more, let me get back to Morani: he says the city just might not be able to do either. And while he is interested in hearing from the public, he has no plans to put this on the city council’s agenda.

Reason for the move: County officials must move these monuments for the Washington County Courthouse expansion.

Now listen to what Jenny says.

The Confederates are veterans, for example. And when the soldier’s statue was erected in 1907, it simply depicted veterans.

“There was only civil war,†Jenny said.

Since 1907, the United States has fought World War I and World War II and has settled conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.