Confederate Obelisk
 Confederate Obelisk (2020) | |
 | |
| 33°44′53″N 84°22′19″W / 33.74802°N 84.37207°W | |
| Location | Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Obelisk |
| Material | Granite |
| Height | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Beginning date | October 15, 1870 |
| Dedicated date | April 26, 1874 |
| Dedicated to | Confederate war dead |
Confederate Obelisk | |
| Part of | Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta) (ID76000627) |
| Added to NRHP | April 28, 1976 |
The Confederate Obelisk is a large
History
Background and dedication
The monument was dedicated on April 26, 1874,[2] on Confederate Memorial Day.[3] Librarian and archivist Ruth Blair, speaking in 1939, called the structure Atlanta's first monument.[4] At the time of its dedication, the 65-foot (20 m) tall obelisk stood as the tallest structure in the city, a record it would hold for several years.[3] The ceremony, which started at noon, featured several former Confederate officials as speakers and Confederate veterans as attendees, included a parade and other festivities.[3] The monument would in later years come to be a focal point for annual Confederate Memorial Day celebrations.[1] It currently remains the tallest structure in the cemetery.[5]
Recent controversy
In 2017, following the
During the George Floyd protests in Georgia, the obelisk and Lion were vandalized on the night of May 28, 2020.[11] The monuments were subsequently vandalized on several separate occasions throughout May and June 2020.[5][8][12]
Design
The monument is a large granite obelisk that features marble tablets affixed near the base. An inscription on the obelisk reads "OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD".[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Breffle, Marcy (August 9, 2019). "Interpreting Atlanta's Confederate History". Historic Oakland Foundation. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-4233-1 – via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 9781625844200 – via Google Books.
- Atlanta Historical Society: 273 – via Atlanta History Center.
- ^ a b Corson, Pete (July 29, 2020). "PHOTOS: Confederate memorials in metro Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Bentley, Rosalind (July 29, 2019). "Atlanta erecting markers about slavery next to Confederate monuments". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Bentley, Rosalind (November 27, 2018). "Rebel monuments take different route than felled Confederate Avenue". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Monuments and Interpretive Sign Damaged by Vandals". Historic Oakland Foundation. May 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ King, Michael (August 6, 2019). "New markers placed with Atlanta's Confederate monuments adding modern info about racism". WXIA-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ Bentley, Rosalind (August 22, 2019). "Atlanta NAACP criticizes markers surrounding Confederate monuments". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Abusaid, Shaddi (May 29, 2020). "Confederate monuments vandalized in Oakland Cemetery, cops say". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ "An Update on the Remediation of Recent Vandalism". Historic Oakland Foundation. June 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
External links
Media related to Confederate Obelisk at Wikimedia Commons
