Zebulon Baird Vance Monument
The Zebulon Baird Vance Monument is a monument in Asheville, North Carolina, United States honoring Zebulon Baird Vance. The memorial is slated for removal, as of June 2020.[1]
| Zebulon Baird Vance Monument | |
|---|---|
 The monument in 2011 | |
| Year | 1938 |
| Medium | Stone |
| Dimensions | 2,000 cm (65 ft) |
| Location | Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
Description and history
Zebulon Baird Vance was Governor of North Carolina during the American Civil War and a United States Senator from 1880 until 1894, when he died. He also lived in Asheville. Construction of the 65-foot (20 m) obelisk began December 22, 1897, with a band playing "Dixie" as the cornerstone was laid.[2] The location is present-day Pack Square, on land owned by the city.[3] The inscription on the plaque reads:
ZEBULON BAIRD VANCE
CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, WAR GOVERNOR
U.S. SENATOR, ORATOR, STATESMAN
MAY 13, 1830 — APRIL 14, 1894
THIS TABLET IS PLACED BY ASHEVILLE CHAPTER U.D.C.
1938
Controversy
During the 2020 George Floyd protests, the monument was tagged with spray paint. The Asheville City Council voted unanimously on June 9, 2020 to have the monument removed. A 2015 North Carolina law would not permit this action unless the monument is privately owned, and city attorney Brad Branham said it was not clear who owned the monument and additional research was needed. The United Daughters of the Confederacy paid for the monument but did not own the land. City Council member Keith Young, who is African-American, said he believed that those who erected the monument were saying to black people, "We still have power. We still have control. And this is your place in our society."[3] N.C. Senator Jim Davis, primary sponsor of the 2015 law, said he believed history needed to be preserved and trying to rewrite history and removing monuments would not "alleviate the fact that slavery was".[3]
Another option suggested was that the monument remain but Baird's name be removed.[2]
A joint resolution passed by the city and county calls for a task force to study alternatives.[4]
References
- Hackett, Madeleine (2020-06-11). "City of Asheville passes resolution to remove Vance Monument, other Confederate monuments". WYFF. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- Wicker, Mackenzie (2020-06-09). "Confederate Vance Monument debate reignited amid George Floyd protests". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved 2020-06-11 – via MSN.
- Wicker, Mackenzie; Burgess, Joel (2020-06-11). "Asheville, Buncombe leaders support Confederate monument removal, but legal hurdles remain". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
- Wicker, Mackenzie (2020-06-24). "What's next for Vance Monument? Here's what we know – and what we don't". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved 2020-06-24.