A view of the confederate soldier on top of the Confederate Soldier Monument outside of the Iredell County Government Center.
On the lawn of the old Iredell County Courthouse a Confederate soldier stands gripping his rifle, flanked by two cannons. The monument, erected at the turn of the century, pays homage to the soldiers of Iredell County who fought in the Civil War, or as the monument itself reads the “defenders of state sovereignty.”
But now, there is a nationwide push to take down the relics of the past as sympathies toward the Confederacy wanes.
The racially charged debate over the removal of Confederate monuments came to a head this week in North Carolina when Gov. Roy Cooper called for the legislature to repeal a 2015 law protecting “objects of remembrance.”
The statute, signed into law by former Gov. Pat McCrory, requires approval from the general assembly to remove the monuments from any public property.
Though the decision lies on the shoulders of the state, local officials say The Common Soldier should remain in Downtown Statesville.
“I think it reflects more than a time period,” County Commissioner Jeff McNeely said. “It reflects a memorial of all our people who fought in war and made the ultimate sacrifice. It’s a memorial to our soldiers throughout the ages, more than just any certain time period.”
The county is waiting to see what happens at the state level before making any plans for the statue, according to Communications Manager Ben Stikeleather.
Cooper’s announcement came one day after protestors toppled a Confederate statue in Durham. He said removing the statues is a matter of safety.
But others say it’s a matter of preservation, including State House Rep. Rena Turner of Iredell.
“I’m very concerned about erasing history,” she said “The monuments don’t say who we are today, but it’s important to remember where we came from, so we don’t make those mistakes again.”
Turner added Cooper’s suggestion to move the monuments to a museum would be “a reasonable discussion.”
With increasing tension surrounding the statues, Commissioner Gene Houpe said it’s important to address the core issue.
“Removing a historical monument is not going to change people’s hearts,” he said. “What we have to do is change the dialogue. None of us can change the history. It is what it is. We have to have these hard conversations. There’s not a part of history you can’t learn from.”
While the rally cries to tear down to the historical markers are loud and long, Iredell residents have had a more restrained response.
The city received only one call as of Friday about the statue, according to Spokeswoman Nancy Davis. Stikeleather said the county had yet to receive any comments from the public.
“In Iredell County we tend to be fairly level headed. We think through things. We’ve had very good relationships with all different people, and I think people are waiting to see what happens. We usually don’t have knee-jerk reaction, and that’s one thing I love about my county.”
