Confederate Monument, Pittsboro, North Catalina

The beginning of the tale for the Confederate Monument began on August 23^rd, 1907, where it was debuted in the center of Chatham District Court. Pittsboro, North Carolina. The Chatham District Court is in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the center of town with a traffic roundabout circling it. The Chatham District Court building was created back in 1881 for $10,666, it sits as a two-story rectangular brick structure that was created in the Late Victorian style. In the 1930’s, there was an addition added for the Works Progress Administration that was a one size expansion, and that also included extensive outside renovation of the building. The building is also listed in the National Register of Historical Places.

In 1907, the county of Chatham County gave a license to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, to place the Confederate Monument in the district center outside of the courthouse. The Confederate Monument made its first appearance in the Chatham County Courthouse on August 23^rd, 1907, after the permits cleared, and over 1600 letters, over 3 and a half years, written by Mrs. Henny A. London, were sent out and approved. The Confederate Monument was created by C.J. Hulin, and Marble Works, out of Durham, North Carolina, and W.H. Mullins Company, Salem, Ohio. There is not too much information about the company Marble Works, and the artist C.J. Hulin, but his past creations before the Confederate Monument was the Spanish-American War Monument, located in Durham County, Durham, North Carolina. That statue was revealed on January 1^st, 1902. But however, the Confederate Monument was his first controversial piece of work he created. Regarding W.H. Mullins, he has been a very big pinnacle for the Confederate monument scene, by creating 12 other status, across the United States between 1893-1925, including the Confederate Monument. The Confederate Monument was created and crafted with pieces of sheet copper stands on top of a multi-block granite pedestal, and the soldier on the top of the stature is making a standing pose in a Confederate uniform, with a slouch hat, and holding a rifle in front of him, butt raised in the air. The Confederate Monument is 27 feet tall. The Confederate Monument total cost was $1,700.

There also was a lot of words inscribed on the statue itself, and read as the following:

·        Front: “TO THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS OF CHATHAM COUNTY / OUR CONFEDERATE HEROES”

·        Side: “THIS MONUMENT IS THE GIFT OF THOSE WHO / RESERVE THE MEMORY OF THE CONFEDERATE / SOLDIER. ERECTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WINNIE / DAVIS CHAPTER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE / CONFEDERACY. MRS. H.A. LONDON / PRESIDENT / AUG. 23 1907.”

·        Rear: “CHATHAM FURNISHED 1900 / SOLDIERS TO THE CONFEDERACY / ABOUT 14-50 ENLISTED IN THE FOLL- / OWING COMPANIES ORGANIZED IN THIS / COUNTY / CO. I-32 REGIMENT / E 26 / G 26 / D 35 / E 44 / G 48 / D 61 / E 63 / G 63 / H 70 D 49 / ABOUT 450 SONS OF THE CHATHAM ENLISTED IN COMPANIES / ORGANIZED IN OTHER COUNTIES.”

These quotes are very important for the history of this statue because they describe the reasoning, and the importance of the piece that was created for theses Civil War Soldiers. For the side inscribing quote, it describes The Winnie Davis Chapter, and the Daughters of the Confederacy. The Winnie Davis Chapter was an affiliate, or group that was involved with the United Daughters of the Confederacy, that was involved in creating this piece. For the rear inscription, it describes all of the different chapters that were involved in that area in the Civil War, and how they dedicated this statue for the 450 Enlisted sons in other counties that were involved in the Civil War. The Confederate Monument was unveiled by the North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, Walter Clark, and introduced by the mother of the Daughters of the Confederacy, Mrs. Henny London, who was a major part of the statue coming to that location. For the post-dedication use of the Confederate Monument, children made a game of tossing bottle caps from the balcony of the courthouse and seeing if they can get them to stay on the soldier's hat.

However, in August 2017, there was a white supremist rally located in Charlottesville, Virginia that caused some major issues for Confederate monuments across the United States. After that white supremacist rally that happened in Virginia, a counter-protester named Heather Heyer was killed after trying to get others to understand her differences, and that created an outrage within the United States with Confederate monuments. Beginning in March of 2019, multiple members of the Pittsboro community would meet every Saturday, in the Chatham District Center, where the Confederate Monument was located, to get the statue removed. Every Saturday, the crowds that were meeting, grew in numbers, and grew in violence. Concerns for public safety began to rise, after the local police force nearly costed them $140,000 to protect the statue and the community, but the safety began to raise serious concerns, so the county board voted to have the Confederate Monument removed. Shortly after the county board voted for it to be removed, the Winnie Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy followed with a lawsuit, saying that it violates the 2015 North Carolina Heritage Protection Act, that is in place to protect these old Civil Rights statues from being removed. The response of the county came with an answer to this lawsuit, pertaining the 1907 license that was written by Mrs. Henny A. London, has the option to erect the statue from the courthouse, if it would be in good care and keeping.

Conclusion

 It was later early morning on November 20^th, 2019, that the Confederate Monument was removed. There had not been much information since, but as of right now, the Confederate Monument is being held in storage, located in Greensboro, North Carolina, by the Winnie Davis Chapter. It is now up to the Winnie Davis Chapter, and to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, to find a future place to relocate the statue to.  There are no current plans to relocate the Confederate Monument. 

I really enjoyed this monument and learning about it because I was never introduced to something like this before. It was interesting to find all this past information about something that most young adults are not informed of.  

“Chatham County Courthouse.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_County_Courthouse.

Harlin, C. J, and Durham (N.C.) Marble Works. “Confederate Monument, Pittsboro.” NCpedia, www.ncpedia.org/monument/confederate-monument-0.

“United Daughters of the Confederacy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Daughters_of_the_Confederacy.

“Works Progress Administration.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration.

“Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina.” Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina | Confederate Monument, Pittsboro, 19 Mar. 2010, docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/11.

“Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina.” Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina | Search Results, 19 Mar. 2010, docsouth.unc.edu/commland/results/?creator=96.