Confederate Monument in Woodlawn Cemetery (1941-2017)

Dedicated in 1941 by the Daughters of the Confederacy, this was the last Confederate monument in this Florida county until 2017 when it was removed. The monument stood front and center in the cemetery, and with no Civil War battles occurring in West Palm Beach, many residents in the 21st century thought it was inappropriate to have a Confederate symbol in a cemetery that serves as the final resting place for diverse residents of the community. The monument was claimed by modern-day members of the Daughters of the Confederacy and placed in storage.

In 1941, the Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated this monument within Woodlawn Cemetery was intended to support the Lost Cause, an idea that defended the Confederacy, while also recognizing local troops who were among the 14,000 Floridians that fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Two major battles were fought in Florida and won by the Confederacy, while the coastline was a constant site of naval war.

The UDC worked to raise funds for this monument from 1936 to 1941 with bridge games, bake sales, dinners, and other events. The monument bore the words “Forever now, among the immortal dead, whose dust belongs to the glory’s dreamland, sleeps the fair Confederacy. Right principles can never die, no cause for which the brave have bled in virtue’s name. For which the true have kept the faith. For which the dead have not died in holy martyrdom was ever lost."

In 2017 the Confederate statue was removed along with numerous others in Virginia and other states, including some in the North. While some saw the statue as having historical value, others pointed out that the cemetery was a burial ground for diverse residents and there was no Civil War battle in West Palm Beach.

F. (Director). (2019, February 26). Confederate monument removed from FLORIDA finds new home in Baldwin County [Video file]. Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOXNluICzj8

Kleinberg, E. (2017, August 22). West Palm removes Confederate monument from city cemetery. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/local/breaking-west-palm-begins-removing-confederate-monument-from-cemetery/hoxK1t4fjh5dbQ0hxFuP1O/

Wenzler, E. (2017, August 20). UPDATE: Confederate monument at West Palm cemetery vandalized. Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/crime--law/breaking-confederate-monument-west-palm-cemetery-vandalized/Va9o3zbBryBOkAMu3rPshK/

Burke, P. (2017, August 22). Confederate monument in West Palm Beach cemetery to be removed. Click Orlando. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2017/08/22/confederate-monument-in-west-palm-beach-cemetery-to-be-removed/

Florida Center for Instructional Techonolgy. (2009). Florida's Role in the Civil War: "Supplier of the Confederacy". https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/cvl_war/cvl_war1.htm.