View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/17
Description: A bronze statue of a Confederate soldier standing ready sits atop a stepped granite base and a square pedestal. The monument is thirty-four feet tall, with the statue being seven feet. The soldier is pictured in the ready position to indicate that he is prepared for battle. Two Confederate flags, crossed, are engraved on the middle section of the pedestal. Its dedication was in September of 1904.
Inscription:
On the base: TO OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD / 1861-1865
On the die: GRANVILLE GRAYS/ CHAPTER / U.D.C.
On the plinth: C.S.A.
Dedication date: 10/30/1909
Materials & Techniques: Warren County granite base, bronze statue
Sponsor: Granville Grays Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
Cost: $3000
Unveiling & Dedication: Governor Kitchin gave the dedication speak, noted as "strong and patriotic" by the Confederate Veteran, and the monument was accepted by Major Dennis Brummit. A large number of visitors attended, and the festivities included a parade, music, and dinner.
Controversies: After a race riot it was moved to less prominent location. In June of 2020, Granville County Commissioners signed an authorization for removal of the monument, in the wake of civil protest around the state and across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020. Floyd was killed by police. The Granville County Commissioners sited the fear that the monument would otherwise be "forcibly removed". The county removed the monument around June 24, 2020 and placed it in storage pending further decisions.
Location: At its original location, the monument faced outward from the courthouse toward Main Street. It was also the tallest structure in the area at the time, allowing it to occupy a place of great importance and honor in Oxford.
Former Locations: The monument was moved in 1971 from its very visible original location in front of the courthouse to the library grounds where it stood as a compromise following the Oxford race riot.
City: Oxford
County: Granville
Subjects: Civil War