Agreement first step to move statue behind Chowan County Courthouse

BY NICOLE LAYTON

Staff Writer

Edenton Town Council and Chowan County Commissioners both unanimously approved a measure that officials hope will end a civil suit against the town and relocate the Confederate Soldiers Monument.

During a joint special meeting Monday, the government entities each approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) moving the statue from South Broad Street to behind the Chowan County Courthouse, near the intersection of Court and Queen streets. The agreement also transfers ownership of the statue from the town to the county.

A crowd of about 30 people silently watched the meeting that lasted about seven minutes.

In a statement, Michael Dean, a Chowan County resident who has organized weekly protests against relocating the statue, said: “It’s felt that is the only way to protect it for decades to come due to the difference in political climate between the town and county. It’s not what we wanted but the judge has run out of options.”

Dean is also a member of Sons of the Confederacy, one of the plaintiffs in the civil suit.

Mayor Hackney High noted that the town and county had been working on the MOU for several months.

He highlighted several parts of the MOU that addressed at least two stipulations of a civil suit. The resulting temporary restraining order has prevented the monument’s relocation.

“Over the last couple of months, the town and the county have worked together to try to come up with a solution that would honor the Human Relations Commission’s recommendation that the Confederate monument be moved and also to place it in a situation where the lawsuit could be dismissed,” High said. 

The other part of the agreement that High pointed out is that when the monument is delivered to the new location, the town will give the county a bill of sales or similar document. 

“By acceptance of the bill of sale or similar document, the county will agree to keep and maintain the monument in compliance with all federal, state laws, and regulations,” he said.

After town delivers and re-erects the statue on county property, the county will be responsible for maintaining the statue and any landscaping.

The town and county both must approve any modification of the MOU.

In their part of the meeting, the Commissioners asked whether the location was set and couldn’t be changed. They also asked about a possible timeline.

Commission President Bob Kirby noted that the documents include a general location, but nothing specific. He said the county also does not have a specific design for the monument’s new location. The MOU says the statue and the four flagpoles, bricks and lighting will be “re-erected the same.”

High said they do not have a timeline as to when the statue would be moved. The lawsuit plaintiffs must approve the agreement before the statue can be moved. High said he expected the process to move faster than if the trial continued.

Background

During the meeting, High reminded those in attendance that in 2022, the town’s Human Resources Commission recommended that the monument be relocated.

As the town council considered several locations, a civil action was filed in court to prevent the relocation of the statue. A superior court judge to enter a restraining order that prevented the town from moving the monument.