Confederate Monument In Minden Taken Down
Written by Mark Chreene on June 27, 2020
After 87 years, a statue that stood at the foot of Jacqueline Park between Broadway and Main Street known as “The Confederate Memorial” was taken down quietly Friday night for historical preservation. The statue, that of a Confederate soldier, had occupied the space in the park since 1933, and for several years been planned to be removed to prevent the possibility of vandalism to the monument, according to Charlotte Martin, President of the United Daughters of Confederacy – Chapter 2403, the owners of the statue.
“The Signal Tribune” dated January 3, 1933, states that the statue was planned to honor Confederate soldiers of the Civil War by the United Daughters of Confederacy. The statue would be placed in Jacqueline Park on South Broadway. The location that the statue sat on was granted by the City Council. The statue was carved of marble in Italy, with the base of the statue made in Shreveport.
Originally, the statue was to be erected in the “hitching rack” next to the old Webster Parish Courthouse, but that plan fell through. The statue was formally dedicated on January 19, 1933. A reported crowd of over 2,000 was on hand for the unveiling, with Alberta Glass, the last living Confederate veteran in Minden, formally unveiling the statue. The statue was damaged a few months after being dedicated in May of 1933, when a tornado struck Minden on the afternoon of May 1st, knocking the statue over, with the bayonet of the soldier broken off.
The late John Agan, former Minden/Webster Parish Historian wrote in his “Echoes Of Our Past” article of some misconceptions about the statue.
“There are two common misconceptions about the statue of the Confederate soldier that stands in Confederate Park.” Agan stated. “The first originated in a newspaper account that contained incorrect information. That article stated that the statue was modeled after a “Mr. Wiley Pevy,” the first Webster Parish soldier to die in World War I. In fact, there was no “Wiley Pevy.” The local American post is named the Wiley-Pevy Post after William Wiley and Andrew Jackson Pevy, two Webster Parish men who were among the first casualties of World War I. Their pictures hang in the Legion hall here in Minden.
The second misconception is that the statue was modeled after any local resident, it was not, but was merely an image of a typical Confederate soldier.”
It is unknown at this time where the statue was relocated to.
Reader's opinions
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Tammy On June 27, 2020 at 12:36 pm
Why is the statue being removed? I hope not to appease all the offended people who can’t accept history is it happened. Hopefully I missed something somewhere in article.
Sharon Smith On June 27, 2020 at 5:44 pm
That’s so sorry
Ann Massie On June 28, 2020 at 6:11 pm
I nearly cried—-those black folks are getting what they want—PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!
Nancy StGermain On June 28, 2020 at 7:30 pm
This is so sad . I understand the reasoning behind the decision, but do not think it is right to erase history. We learn from history – good and bad decisions .
Marvin Young On June 29, 2020 at 8:27 am
It just doesn’t look right anymore…..