Early Twentieth Century Courthouse Trivia (plus a Confederate monument).

Since it's been just about forever since we had a courthouse trivia question I thought this morning that I'd go out and take some courthouse photos.  I've had my eye on this courthouse (which was built in the early 20th century) for a long time and I knew there was a Confederate monument in front of it, so I figured, this would be a good one to visit.  The courthouse was completed around the same time that Alabama moved aggressively to limit African American voting.  And in fact it turns out that the Confederate monument in front of the courthouse was put up shortly after the courthouse was finished -- so perhaps it joins a celebration of the Confederacy with the new courthouse.  This turns Faulkner's observation in Requiem for a Nun around somewhat.  In that where Faulkner depicted his community as (largely) moving on from the Confederacy, more concerned with monuments to the Spanish-American war or to commerce than to the Confederacy.  Though that could be said for just about all early 20th century Confederate monuments, I suppose.  Also significant, I think, is that the Confederate monument is different from many I've seen, in that it has the names of all (so far as I can tell) of the Confederate soldiers and sailors from the county on it, rather than just a subset -- like the officers. No incorporation of names by reference here, as happens at the Sussex County, Virginia, monument and in the plaque honoring Washington College alums who fought for the Confederacy, at the Washington and Lee Chapel. So shall we start with the question: where is this courthouse?  And then after the fold I'll talk a little more about the monument.

 As I was making my way back home, I stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant in the town.  And as I was admiring the photos I looked up from my ipad and my meal and right in front of me was a picture of the Confederate monument!  I almost fell out of my chair.  The restaurant has several pictures that seem to be of local buildings.  What an unexpected place to find that image.  Of course there was no context for it -- nor could one read the inscription on the front "Our Confederate Heroes."  I'm guessing that few, if any, of the customers know what the photo is.  But this invites a discussion of whether these images belong in a restaurant, whether with or without interpretation.  Long-time readers of this blog will be able to predict my reaction -- we should contextualize these photos.  We can give dinners a chance to learn a little more about the county's history and some sense of why people in the first decade of the twentieth century, in the wake of the disfranchisement of African American voters in the state, the local officials allowed the United Daughters of the Confederacy to put the monument on public property.  And maybe we could have people in the community talk a little bit about what that meant at the time and now.

Comments

[Bill Turnier]

Sumter County.

[Al Brophy]

Bill! You're good. This is it exactly. Very nicely done.