The Denton Confederate Soldier Monument was an outdoor Confederate memorial installed in downtown Denton, Texas, in the United States.[1]
| Denton Confederate Soldier Monument | |
|---|---|
 The monument c. 2000 | |
 | |
| Completion date | 1918 |
| Location | Denton, Texas, United States |
| 33°12′53″N 97°07′59″W / 33.2146°N 97.1331°W | |
Description
editThe statue depicts an armed Confederate soldier standing on an arch with the inscription, "Our Confederate Soldiers".[citation needed]
History
editThe monument was funded and erected in 1918 by the Katie Daffan Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.[2]
The courthouse behind where the monument had stood was named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1970, a National Historic Registry landmark in 1977, and a Texas State Archeological Landmark in 1981.[3][4]
Vandalism and removal
editOne local resident, Willie Hudspeth, has been working to remove the memorial since 2000.[5]
The monument was vandalized with the words "This Is Racist" in 2015.[6] On February 1, 2018, Denton County leaders voted 15–0 to keep the statue but add a plaque denouncing slavery and a video kiosk explaining the city's racial history and progress (which was never added or completed).
On June 9, 2020, in the wake of the protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Denton County commissioners voted to remove the memorial.[7][8]
On the morning of June 25, 2020, removal of the statue began just before dawn.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Confederate Memorial - Denton Texas - American Civil War Monuments and Memorials on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ^ Little, Carol Morris, A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996 p. 196-197
- ^ "Denton Confederate Soldier Monument Draws Debate". 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ^ McPhate, Christian (16 August 2017). "Turning 100, a Confederate Soldier Monument in Denton Faces an Uncertain Future". Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ Andrea Lucia (16 August 2017). "Denton Man Fights For 17 Years To Have Confederate Monument Removed". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ^ "Video shows pair vandalizing Confederate monument in Denton". 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Denton, Tarrant counties vote to remove Confederate monuments". Dallas News. 2020-06-09. Archived from the original on 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ Higgs, Ryan (9 June 2020). "Commissioners approve removal and relocation of Confederate soldier memorial". Denton Record-Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Confederate monument being removed from Square". Denton Record Chronicle. 2020-06-25. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
