‘We Always Knew What It Stood For’: Small Texas Town Torn Over Its Confederate Statue

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Demetria McFarland, who is spearheading the move to relocate the Confederate statue, says growing up in Marshall, Texas, «We always knew what it stood for. It was just one of those taboo things.





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More than 60 monuments that celebrate the Confederacy and its military men have come down in cities all across America — from San Diego to Raleigh, N.C., — since the death of George Floyd. Many have been removed in medium- to large-sized cities, according to a tally by the Associated Press.

But more than 1,700 monuments remain, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, including in some small Southern towns that may be more protective of their Civil War monuments. In Marshall, an emotional debate over the fate of «the farm boy — as some call the rebel soldier carved of Italian marble — is roiling residents.

«We’re not asking them to destroy the statue, McFarland said. «We’re asking them to remove it. I no longer want to have my taxpayer dollars keeping this symbol of hate and racism erected here on the courthouse square.





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Statue opponents gather for prayer at the courthouse before speaking at a recent meeting of the Harrison County Commissioner’s Court.





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«If you’re taking a picture toward me, I need to know what you’re doing it for! McFarland yells as she trots toward the vehicle.

The occupant is Sandy Smith, part of the «Save Our Statue counter-movement. A cut-out of Donald Trump’s head dangles from her rear-view mirror. McFarland stands at the open window while Smith stays in her car.

«I do this every evening actually. I drive by to make sure it’s okay, Smith says, referring to the statue, «because as much as that is a representative of what you hate…

McFarland cuts her off: «No, I don’t hate anything. I just know what it stands for.

«But you don’t necessarily know what it stands for, Smith continues. «It also stands for the memories of those children that didn’t come back. Because they fought for something they didn’t have a choice not to fight for, and they were sharecroppers’ children. You understand that?





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Locals with the Save Our Statue counter-movement keep a constant eye on the monument to make sure it’s not vandalized.





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Tasha Williams, a leading voice in the campaign to move the statue, says, «Racial tensions and division in the county are at an all-time high, and it’s growing.





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The city of Marshall, population 25,000, is about half black, half white. Antebellum Harrison County grew rich from slave labor and king cotton. After Texas seceded, Marshall became an important Confederate stronghold west of the Mississippi, as a supply hub and military infirmary.

Atrocities continued after the war. After one infamous lynching in 1903, a newspaper account at the time said: «The declaration is made that every negro will be driven from Marshall. And as recently as 2013, the Ku Klux Klan recruited in Marshall.

Today, the city touts its annual Christmas lights festival, and its proximity to beautiful Caddo Lake. The historic courthouse — constructed of yellow brick and adorned with eagles and Lady Justice — along with the statue are listed as a State Antiquities Landmark.

For weeks, citizens have been coming before the Harrison County Commissioner’s Court to make their cases for and against moving the statue.

«The argument for removal is a passionate yet misguided one. Our focus must be the preservation of our history, honoring the young men, sons, husbands and fathers lost in the Civil War, said a resident named Leigh Ann Buchanan at the July 22 meeting.

The commissioners listened behind their desks in the ornate, high-ceiling courtroom that looks like the set from To Kill A Mockingbird. Now, the defendant is the statue of the Confederate rifleman.





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Herman Felton, president of local Wiley College, makes a presentation to the commissioner’s court: «It’s humiliating to be here when we know the damage done to Black Americans under the auspices of the Confederacy.





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Bill Elliott, local commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, stands before an obelisk honoring unknown Confederate soldiers buried in the city cemetery. Some locals suggest the soldier statue should be moved to the cemetery.





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Bill Elliott, local commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, stands before an obelisk honoring unknown Confederate soldiers buried in the city cemetery. Some locals suggest the soldier statue should be moved to the cemetery.


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«We are southern gentlemen, Elliott says. «Let’s talk this out. If it’s got to be moved, we’re for working with everybody. We just want it to be done right and proper. We want it to go somewhere it’s gonna be safe. We want it somewhere for people to come see it.

But if the county decides to move the statue, and the state historical commission — which has the final say — approves, will that really change anything?

There are skeptics, even in the Black community.

Kendrick Brazzell, owner of the Soul Palace restaurant in Marshall, rushes out with plates of fried catfish and hush puppies to his curbside customers on a recent day. He stops between orders to offer an opinion.

«Well, it don’t really mean nothin’ if it come down. But if it come down, and it mean that people gonna change, I’m with it. But other than that, it’s just a statue.

To Brazzell, the removal of the Confederate statue is only a symbolic act unless it’s followed up with the real work of improving race relations in Marshall, Texas.

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