Downtown Decatur in DeKalb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
DeKalb County Confederate Monument Contextualization
Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 10, 2019
1. Dekalb County Confederate Monument Contextualization Marker
The marker is a 300-pound, one-inch thick bronze plaque.
Inscription.
DeKalb County Confederate Monument Contextualization. . In 1908, this monument was erected at the DeKalb County Courthouse to glorify the "lost cause" of the Confederacy and the Confederate soldiers who fought for it. It was privately funded by the C. A. Evans Camp of Confederate Veterans and the Agnes Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Located in a prominent public space, its presence bolstered white supremacy and faulty history, suggesting that the cause for the Civil War rested on southern honor and states rights rhetoric, instead of its real catalyst, African-American slavery. This monument and similar ones also were created to intimidate African-Americans and limit their full participation in the social and political life of their communities. It fostered a culture of segregation by implying that public spaces and public memory belonged to whites. Since state law prohibited local governments from removing Confederate statues, DeKalb County contextualized this monument in 2019. DeKalb County officials and citizens believe that public history can be of service when it challenges us to broaden our sense of boundaries and includes community discussions of the victories and shortcomings of our shared histories.
In 1908, this monument was erected at the DeKalb County
Courthouse to glorify the "lost cause" of the Confederacy and the
Confederate soldiers who fought for it. It was privately funded by
the C. A. Evans Camp of Confederate Veterans and the Agnes
Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Located in a prominent public space, its presence bolstered white
supremacy and faulty history, suggesting that the cause for the
Civil War rested on southern honor and states rights rhetoric—
instead of its real catalyst—African-American slavery. This
monument and similar ones also were created to intimidate
African-Americans and limit their full participation in the social
and political life of their communities. It fostered a culture of
segregation by implying that public spaces and public memory
belonged to whites. Since state law prohibited local governments
from removing Confederate statues, DeKalb County contextualized
this monument in 2019. DeKalb County officials and
citizens believe that public history can be of service when it
challenges us to broaden our sense of boundaries and includes
community discussions of the victories and shortcomings of our
shared histories.
Location. 33° 46.491′ N, 84° 17.783′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Georgia, in DeKalb County. It is in Downtown Decatur. It can be reached from East Court Square south of East Ponce de Leon Avenue. South side of Old Dekalb County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 East Court Square, Decatur GA 30030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont and in Metro Atlanta. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Regarding DeKalb County Confederate Monument Contextualization. The DeKalb County Confederate Monument was removed on June 18, 2020 by county authorities and placed into storage pending
Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 10, 2019
2. Dekalb County Confederate Monument and Contextualization Marker
a new location. It is not clear if this featured marker on the contextualization of the monument is still standing or not.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 10, 2019
3. View south of Dekalb County Confederate Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 13, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,267 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 13, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
