Confederate Monument in Pittsboro, N.C.-- Part 3: A Public Dedication

DEDICATION DATE:  August 23, 1907

CREATOR:  C.J. Harlin   Durham (N.C.) Marble Works, Supplier

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES:  Mt. Airy Granite  (N.C.)

SPONSOR:  Winnie Davis Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy

UNVEILING AND DEDICATION:  North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Walter Clark was the orator and was introduced by Mrs. H.A. London.  The statue was presented by Mrs. H.A. London and received by Lieutenant O.A. Tanner.  Col. John R. lane served as the Chief Marshall for the occasion.

POST DEDICATION USE:   Children made a game of tossing bottle caps from the balcony of the courthouse to see if they could get it to stay on the soldier's hat.

CONTROVERSIES:  Some people in Chatham want the monument removed from the courthouse, or destroyed.  They contend it promotes racism and commemorates the slaveholding South.  Others defend it as a reminder of historical events and local heritage.

LOCATION:  The statue stands directly in front of the Chatham County Courthouse steps.

CITY:  Pittsboro, N.C.

COUNTY:  Chatham

So, how come this stood 112 years with no problems.  And, now?

--Old Secesh