EDENTON — The highly anticipated public discussion over the design and final placement of the Confederate Memorial is expected to take center stage at the Chowan County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, November 3.
The agenda can be found by clicking here — or see the end of this story.
The meeting agenda includes a look at the monument at Veterans Memorial Park landscape design, which is expected to provide the venue for an update on the monument’s relocation project. Following its removal from the downtown waterfront earlier this year around midnight during Labor Day weekend, the memorial to Chowan County’s 47 soldiers who died during the Civil War is slated to be moved to Veterans Memorial Park, a site adjacent to the Chowan County Courthouse, near the intersection of Court and East Queen streets, not the 1767 courthouse.
Designer David Stevenson, who was hired earlier this year for the project, is expected to give the presentation.
The Commissioners’ discussion will likely focus on the proposed design for the new site, including landscaping, monument foundation, and potential interpretation or contextualization of the contested memorial.
Check this out — look at the designer’s image of the proposal at dusk — fountain, statue, gazebo and bulletin boards. More images can be found in the redacted agenda packet, found by clicking here.
Based on his presentation, which is available in the packet, the proposal includes a gazebo, reflection pond, a possible monument to honor the rich Black history of Chowan County or other marginalized heroes of the county, along with the Confederate statue.
The pond, according to the presentation, would be the central focus of the park, and placed between the soldier and cultural monuments to symbolize unity and reconciliation. The pond would be surrounded by native foliage.
The park would have sidewalks connecting each point of interest within the park.
The relocation, which transfers ownership from the Town of Edenton to Chowan County, has been the subject of ongoing legal challenges and intense community debate. Critics of the move contend that placing a symbol of the Confederacy on property near an active court of law is fundamentally incompatible with the principle of “equal justice under the law.”
In addition to the highly scrutinized public land discussion, the Board will also address several planning and administrative items. Under New Business, the Commissioners are set to discuss several Veterans Services items — Operation Green Light and a grant application for $20,000 from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The board will also consider the appointment of William A. Bunch to the Jury Commission, as recommended by Clerk of Court Dwayne Goodwin.
During the consent agenda, the board will approve minutes from the October meetings as well as several tax refund/releases. The refunds are due to overpayment of property taxes by Chowan County residents.
4 responses to “Chowan Commission to Review Confederate Memorial Design Proposal”
Looks slipshod and thrown together to me. Artist could even spell Harriet correctly and lists her as having lived for 184 year (page 52 of agenda) so I question how much effort he put into this or did AI do all the work?
I PARTICULARLY do not like the signs placed on the sidewalk blocking the view of the monument from the street. I realize this is just a conception, but why block the view if it is to be prominent? Someone viewing at the lower elevation of an automobile will not see it with those silly poster boards in the way, and I suspect that was the intent.
Poster boards need to be relocated and while I have no argument NOT to install a memorial for a colored individual(s) at the same time, I take very great issue with the idea of installing one as a form of appeasement for re-erecting the Monument to Confederate War Dead. It should NEVER have been removed in the first place and no appeasement should be even remotely considered as being necessary.
So what you are saying is that treasonous monument is for “white” individuals and you would support a monument for “colored” individuals?
This is a true shake my head moment and just gape at the blatant oppression and racism still prevalent here in Edenton today more than 150 years after you fought to retain ownership of human beings. How disgusting.
I am not clear on how you arrived at that ridiculous interpretation of my remark, but I’ll not engage in a back in forth exchange with you here.
Should we ever meet in a face to face gathering, I would hope if this issue came up we could calmly and verbally engage our respective positions on this issue and though probably not change each other’s minds, at least come away with an understanding why the other party feels the way that they do about it.
Until then, I hope that you have a Blessed day.
Totally agree removed the sign and why state the pond would be the focal point. Do you even have enough room for what showing in the pictures.