The statue of John Lewis replaces a Confederate memorial in Georgia
In Decatur, Georgia, a statue of former Rep. John Lewis has replaced the Confederate obelisk, which was removed in 2020.
- The Confederate memorial to Brigadier General Albert Pike, which was pulled down by protesters in 2020, has been restored and will return to its original location in Washington, D.C. this October.
- The National Park Service cited President Trump’s executive order on protecting the monument and presenting a full picture of American history as justification for restoration.
Once removed from a post a mile from the White House, the controversial Confederate monument will return this fall.
The National Park Service said it would be restored and a bronze statue of Confederate brigadier general, Albert Pike, will be returned to the original post after it was restored and protesters in June 2020 defeated it with ropes and chains. Videos of the protesters’ actions surfaced online.
The National Park Service said in a statement on August 4th that the move would support two executive orders by President Donald Trump and direct federal agencies to “protect public monuments and present a complete and accurate picture of America’s past.”
“The restoration is consistent with recent executive orders to glorify the country’s capital and restore existing statues, as well as federal responsibilities under the Historic Preservation Act,” the agency’s statement said.
After protesters overthrew the statue five years ago, the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center moved to store and restore it.
The restoration of the monument is almost complete. It is expected to be reinstalled in October, the agency said.
“Preparation of the site to repair the damaged masonry pedestals of the statue will soon begin, and crews will repair broken stones, mortar joints and mounting elements,” the statement reads.
After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, protesters calling for racial justice and police brutality sparked massive criticism of Confederate monuments across the country, including those set to revive in Washington, D.C.
Before it was defeated, the statue of Pike was the only outdoor statue of a Confederate general in the country’s capital.
According to the National Park Service, the Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction of Scotland’s rituals built a statue in 1901 to honor Pike. He passed away in 1981. During his lifetime, Pike helped develop the masonry of Arkansas and commanded Confederate Indian territory during the civil war, according to the Arkansas Encyclopedia.
Please contact Kayla Jimenez (kjimenez@usatoday.com). Follow her on the X on @kaylajjimenez.
