Humboldt aldermen are set to decide whether a life-size Confederate soldier will keep watch over Bailey Park, when the Board of Aldermen meets Monday at 5:15 p.m. The question lands on their desks after the city’s Parks Board voted to recommend taking the monument down following recent discussion. The statue, a long-time fixture of the east-side park, now faces a formal vote that could send the issue on to state review.
According to WREG, the Parks Board placed the removal request on the aldermen's agenda, and the meeting is scheduled for the Humboldt Municipal Building. The station reports that the monument is a life-size figure of a Confederate soldier and that the Parks Board recommendation appears on the posted agenda. City officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A monument with local roots
The soldier statue was first installed in 1914 by the local Nathan Bedford Forrest chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and was later moved into Bailey Park, according to the Historical Marker Database. The database notes that sculptor J. J. Snyder of Eclipse Marble Works carved the figure and details the monument's tiered granite base. The statue has drawn calls for removal before, including an online push in 2015 urging the city to take it down (the 2015 petition).
Legal hurdles and what could happen next
Even if aldermen vote to remove the monument, Tennessee law complicates any permanent move of memorials on public property. Under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, a public entity must petition the Tennessee Historical Commission for a waiver before removing, renaming, or relocating memorials on public land. The statute explains the waiver process and the standards the commission must use. Tennessee Code -1-412 requires a showing of “material or substantial need” and provides for public hearings and review. Similar fights have played out over Confederate monuments in the region, and, according to WREG, Memphis spent years in legal and political wrangling when officials moved a Forrest monument.
What to expect Monday
The Board of Aldermen meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at the Humboldt Municipal Building, and the city's website posts meeting agendas and contact information. Residents who want more background can look to the Historical Marker Database or the city’s agenda, which outlines the Parks Board request. If the board signs off on removal, the city would likely need to seek a waiver from the Tennessee Historical Commission before anything changes at Bailey Park. Updates from officials are expected after the vote and will be added as they become available.
