Caddo Parish Courthouse Confederate Monument Move Begins

Deconstruction has begun on the controversial Forty-Six Confederate Veteran's Reunion Monument located in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse.  A safety perimeter fence has gone up around the monument, and construction crews have begun the task of moving the monument to a private location.

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The monument was erected in 1905 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to honor soldiers that fought and died during the Civil War.

The location of the monument was selected because prior to the current Caddo Parish Courthouse being built in 1926, and just after the Civil War, Shreveport was the Confederate State Capital. According to the Jefferson Davis biography, the lowering of the Confederate Flag in 1865, represented the final location the Confederate Flag officially flew in Louisiana. Although ownership of the land around the courthouse has been disputed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, courts recently ruled in favor of Caddo Parish as the official owner.

The monument has been a source of controversy for many years, most recently as the site of demonstrations by both pro and con sides of the removal issue.

The cost to Caddo parish taxpayers to move the statue to a private historical site in DeSoto Parish is nearly $800,000.  The deadline for the contractor to complete the move is December 31st.