The century-old Confederate monument, which is on display downtown has yet to be removed, but one Grenada City Councilman said the slow process is due to studies and planning as to what to do with it when removed.
It has been eight months since the Grenada City Council voted 4-3 for the removal of the statue, which has stood on the Square since 1910. Since the vote, the statue has been covered with a tarp until it can be moved.
Ward 3 City Councilman Lewis Johnson, who introduced and made the motion for the removal, said a plan is in the making to have it removed.
“Right now, we’re in the process of coming up with a relocation site,” Johnson said. “One of the areas that we looked to place it was inside of Odd Fellow Cemetery, but that will not work.”
The topic surfaced recently at the city council’s last regularly scheduled meeting. Clay Davis of Grenada spoke briefly to the City Council about a dilapidated building on the Square and the monument.
“With the statue being covered like that, it’s become a real eyesore,” Davis said. “I contact the mayor on a regular basis and I’m willing to help do something if I’m needed.”
The weather-faded, woven poly tarp that was placed over the monument in September 2020, has torn in several spots because of wind, rain and even ice and snow. Johnson said the tarp was placed over the monument to protect it from vandalism.
“The covering needs to be changed, but it was placed there for its protection,” Johnson said. “There were talks of people vandalizing it, so that’s why it was put in place. It is time for the city to move forward with this. Since we can’t have the statue placed in the Confederate cemetery, we need to seek an alternative.”
Grenada joined other cities and counties in Mississippi and around the nation, including Columbus, Jackson, Bolivar County and Leflore counties to remove Confederate statues. Last year, the University of Mississippi removed its statue from its campus and placed it in a Confederate cemetery.
A Mississippi law enacted in 2004, says no war monument may be “relocated, removed, disturbed, altered, renamed or rededicated.” But the law also says: “The governing body may move the memorial to a more suitable location if it is determined that the location is more appropriate to displaying the monument.”
The estimated cost to remove the statue is between $30,000 and $50,000.
The monument on the Square was unveiled in June 1910, and was sponsored by the Daughters of the Confederacy.
The 26-foot-tall monument was unveiled on the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America in the 19th century, according to an article archived at the Elizabeth Jones Library. The monument was a dedication by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and according to records, a tribute to the Daughters of the Confederacy.
Johnson said that the city has discussed the relocation with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as well as the Attorney General’s Office.
“What we’re doing is the same protocol that Ole Miss did,” Johnson concluded. “What we’re looking into now is where to place it.”
The council agreed to look into the dilapidated building concern Davis presented. More on this matter will be reported as information is made available.
