Dublin Core
Title
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Monument, Charlottesville
Description
“Thomas Jonathan Jackson” is an equestrian statue of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson located in Charlottesville Virginia. It was sculpted by Charles Keck as one of four monuments commissioned by Paul Goodloe McIntire from members of the National Sculpture Society, and it was erected in 1921 as a gift to the city of Charlottesville. Just like with the statue of Robert E. Lee nearby, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as an important monument to the Confederacy. Stonewall Jackson was one of the best-known Confederate generals, behind Robert E. Lee, and he was born in what was at the time Virginia, making him an important figure in the state’s Confederate history. This statue came under fire in recent years and proposals were initiated to remove this statue, as well as the statue of Robert E. Lee.
The removal of these monuments was blocked by Virginia’s state government under a law that protects war memorials, as well as the public outrage that led to events like the Unite the Right Rally in 2017. However, both of these statues were vandalized with graffiti reading 1619, the year that black slaves were first brought to North America, and damage was inflicted by chiseling portions of the statues in 2019.
In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly changed a law that previously protected such monuments to now allow cities to remove or cover statues. After following the requirements of the new law, such as holding public hearings and offering the statues to historical institutions, the Charlottesville city council voted unanimously to remove the statues in June 2021. In the following month, the Robert E. Lee monument was removed with the Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson statue shortly after. The city of Charlottesville published a press release in September that offered the statues to entities interested in acquiring them. The deadline to apply was October 15, 2021, with offers being reviewed within 90 days thereafter.
Since its removal in 2021, the statue was bought by LAXART for 50,000 dollars and is scheduled to be opened in an art display with other Confederate monuments that have been acquired in an exhibition in LA. Originally slated for 2023, the exhibition and the fate of the Confederate monuments in storage are still up in the air.
The removal of these monuments was blocked by Virginia’s state government under a law that protects war memorials, as well as the public outrage that led to events like the Unite the Right Rally in 2017. However, both of these statues were vandalized with graffiti reading 1619, the year that black slaves were first brought to North America, and damage was inflicted by chiseling portions of the statues in 2019.
In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly changed a law that previously protected such monuments to now allow cities to remove or cover statues. After following the requirements of the new law, such as holding public hearings and offering the statues to historical institutions, the Charlottesville city council voted unanimously to remove the statues in June 2021. In the following month, the Robert E. Lee monument was removed with the Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson statue shortly after. The city of Charlottesville published a press release in September that offered the statues to entities interested in acquiring them. The deadline to apply was October 15, 2021, with offers being reviewed within 90 days thereafter.
Since its removal in 2021, the statue was bought by LAXART for 50,000 dollars and is scheduled to be opened in an art display with other Confederate monuments that have been acquired in an exhibition in LA. Originally slated for 2023, the exhibition and the fate of the Confederate monuments in storage are still up in the air.
Creator
Charles Keck
Source
“104-0251 Thomas Jonathon Jackson Sculpture.” Virginia Department of Historic Resources website. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/104-0251/
Associated Press. “Charlottesville to Remove Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson Statues on Saturday.” WSLS. WSLS 10, July 9, 2021. https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/2021/07/09/charlottesville-to-remove-robert-e-lee-stonewall-jackson-statues-on-saturday/.
Bidgood, Jess, Matthew Bloch, Morrigan McCarthy, Liam Stack, and Wilson Andrews. “From 2017: Confederate Monuments are Coming Down Across the United States. Here’s A List.” The New York Times, August 28, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/16/us/confederate-monuments-removed.html
“City Seeks Offers to Acquire Ownership of Confederate Statues.” Charlottesville, VA, September 22, 2021. https://www.charlottesville.gov/civicalerts.aspx?aid=839.
Harte, Julia. “Charlottesville Removes Confederate Statue at Center of Deadly 2017 Protest.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, July 12, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/charlottesville-remove-confederate-statue-center-deadly-2017-protest-2021-07-10/.
Stack, Liam. “Charlottesville Confederate Statues Are Protected by State Law, Judge Rules.” The New York Times, May 1, 2019. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/charlottesville-confederate-statues.html
Bixby, Ginny. “Art or Ingots” Confederate Statues’ Fate Awaits.” The Daily Progress, July 9, 2022. Accessed November 12, 2023.
https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/government-politics/art-or-ingots-confederate-statues-fates-await/article_04dd2860-fe62-11ec-96e0-f3c89672ffdc.html#:~:text=LAXART%20reimbursed%20the%20city%20of,said%20Hamza%20Walker%2C%20LAXART%20Director.
Associated Press. “Charlottesville to Remove Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson Statues on Saturday.” WSLS. WSLS 10, July 9, 2021. https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/2021/07/09/charlottesville-to-remove-robert-e-lee-stonewall-jackson-statues-on-saturday/.
Bidgood, Jess, Matthew Bloch, Morrigan McCarthy, Liam Stack, and Wilson Andrews. “From 2017: Confederate Monuments are Coming Down Across the United States. Here’s A List.” The New York Times, August 28, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/16/us/confederate-monuments-removed.html
“City Seeks Offers to Acquire Ownership of Confederate Statues.” Charlottesville, VA, September 22, 2021. https://www.charlottesville.gov/civicalerts.aspx?aid=839.
Harte, Julia. “Charlottesville Removes Confederate Statue at Center of Deadly 2017 Protest.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, July 12, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/charlottesville-remove-confederate-statue-center-deadly-2017-protest-2021-07-10/.
Stack, Liam. “Charlottesville Confederate Statues Are Protected by State Law, Judge Rules.” The New York Times, May 1, 2019. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/charlottesville-confederate-statues.html
Bixby, Ginny. “Art or Ingots” Confederate Statues’ Fate Awaits.” The Daily Progress, July 9, 2022. Accessed November 12, 2023.
https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/government-politics/art-or-ingots-confederate-statues-fates-await/article_04dd2860-fe62-11ec-96e0-f3c89672ffdc.html#:~:text=LAXART%20reimbursed%20the%20city%20of,said%20Hamza%20Walker%2C%20LAXART%20Director.
Date
Erected: 1921
Removed: June 2021
Removed: June 2021
Contributor
Matthew Mulcaire, Julia Vargas, Michael Westfall
Relation
Language
English
Type
Sculpture
Identifier
HIST 402A Fall 2020-2023
Coverage
Charlottesville, Virginia