BY MILES LAYTON

The Chowan County Commission will meet to discuss the future of the Confederate Memorial that has inspired a civil war of discussion about the statue’s history and what it symbolizes.  

When the commission meets for its regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. today (Monday) in the Public Safety Center, commissioners will decide whether to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to relocate the monument.  

Flashback — Commissioners held a joint meeting and public hearing with the Edenton Town Council on February 24 where the Town presented the County with a new MOU for relocation of the Confederate Monument from its present location on Broad Street to property owned by Chowan County and located behind the Chowan County Courthouse between the Detention Center and Veterans Memorial. 

Commission decided at the joint meeting to table discussion and consideration of the MOU until its March 3, 2025 meeting. 

During the joint meeting last week, advocates on both sides of the issue made their case — see our stories, here and here.  

Additionally, the Board of Commissioners and Town Council have since received a letter from the Colonel William F. Martin Camp 1521 Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, North Carolina Division that was submitted to be part of the official record from the joint meeting on February 24. See that letter at the bottom of the story. 

Also, see attached agenda for other items of interest regarding Monday’s meeting. 

LETTER regarding the Confederate Memorial

FROM: Colonel William F. Martin Camp 1521 Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, NC Division. Signed by the group’s attorney H. Edward Phillips III 

My clients, the Col. William F. Martin Camp and the UDC, North Carolina Division, thank the members of the Town of Edenton Town Council and the members of the Chowan County Commission for the ability to submit these written comments that we respectfully request be made part of the record in this matter and be given the same consideration as the oral comments being made before the joint meeting of both bodies scheduled for February 24, 2025. 

Please know that we are encouraged by the efforts of both governing bodies to discuss the potential move of the Confederate Memorial (i.e., monument or as referred to under the law, the object of remembrance) to the grounds of the Chowan County Courthouse. While we would like to avoid monuments being moved in the first instance due to potential issues related to possible damage, etc., our organizations understand that both the State of North Carolina and its political subdivisions can move objects of remembrance in accord with the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 100-2.1 known as the Monument Protection Act (or the “MPA”) so long as certain requirements are met. 

To that end, as we understand, the Confederate Memorial is to be moved somewhere between the jail and the Chowan County Veterans’ Memorial, with the ownership of the Confederate Memorial being granted by deed to Chowan County. It is likely that such a move could be viewed as compliant with the MPA in that the site location may be considered of equal prominence, and we as two of the parties to the pending legal action filed in December of 2022, believe the same. 

Nevertheless, when the site plan is being prepared, and understanding that we do not wish the existing Veterans’ Memorial be overshadowed by the Confederate Memorial, we ask that it be placed further away from the jail and closer to the existing memorial while also considering the likelihood of future site development. Further, it may be wise to include plans for the addition of walkways made in the same manner that support both memorials. 

Additionally, we certainly understand that this issue has been contentious on a number of fronts, but we know that the governing bodies and their honorable members have taken steps to bring about a thoughtful and compliant resolution that is greatly appreciated. 

We also know that there are groups and people who are not satisfied with this plan, but we wish to extend our respect for them as citizens of the community and it is our hope that instead of diverting money and resources to fight these issues, that we can expand the footprint of local history bringing honor to all who have served and sacrificed through the Nation’s long history. It seems to us that a better path forward is within our reach when we memorialize the sacrifice of those veterans who have never been memorialized, or those who have been forgotten. 

The whole purpose of historical public art is not only about honoring dead of a war, it is to remind all of us of sacrifice, heroism, duty, and to remember the figures who overcame difficult odds to preserve and even expand the footprint of freedom and liberty. These are the hallmarks of public memory. 

Additionally, remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and whose remains still lay in the ground where they fell in combat rather than in a marked grave remind us that these objects of remembrance call upon the viewer to form their own opinions, to read our history, and to learn from our past while moving forward to deeper bonds of trust, affection, and community between all. 

Respectfully submitted by, 

H. Edward Phillips III