EDENTON, North Carolina — The status of the relocation of the Confederate monument in downtown Edenton was put on hold Monday after a joint meeting between the Edenton Town Council and Chowan County Commissioners. The leaders decided they needed time to process the public hearing that saw more than a dozen people speak for and against the relocation that night.
“The people that live here all their lives think it should stay right where it's at," said Susan Alred, who has called Chowan County home for almost 73 years.
“I grew up knowing it was not appropriate," said Susan Inglis, a longtime Edenton resident whose local family history goes back hundreds of years.
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Monday night, town and county leaders met to hear from residents, strike down the memorandum of understanding from November 2024, and potentially agree on a new one. The new MOU would relocate the Confederate monument that sits in the heart of downtown Edenton to open space behind the Chowan County Courthouse.
After hearing public comments, the Chowan County commissioners felt they needed more time to process everything they had heard. Residents continue to be divided over what to do with the monument, which has been part of the town for more than a century and has been downtown for over 60 years.
“They're trying to wash away the history of it, so it's just sad," said Alred.
“In this day and age, we do not need a symbol of white supremacy in the heart of our little town," said Inglis.
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Despite the town council voting unanimously to relocate the monument nearly two years ago, it remains downtown. That agreement planned to move it about a mile away to Hollowell Park.
“Though action has been taken, the town council did vote to remove it from its current location, they have not actually been able to accomplish what they resolved to accomplish, and that is a disappointment," said Inglis.
A lawsuit against the relocation was filed by advocates in 2023, which has contributed to the delay. The most recent lawsuit was brought by five local residents who are in favor of relocation but not to the space behind the courthouse.
“Since the courthouse represents the place where people can go and expect to have equal justice under law, the idea of moving this very controversial monument to the courthouse grounds, they believed—and we believed, as reflected in our lawsuit—would violate provisions of the North Carolina constitution," said Jake Sussman, with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.
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Some agree that the courthouse is not the most appropriate place for the monument but feel it’s a step in the right direction.
“That would be an improvement. Would everybody believe that they would be getting justice when they come to this courthouse if there's that symbol on the grounds? I don't know," said Inglis.
Others continue to believe that the monument should stay put.
“It bothers a lot of people, but it's part of our history," said Alred.
So what's next? County commissioners will gather at their regular monthly meeting on Monday, where the new MOU will be discussed and action potentially taken. Even if the MOU is agreed upon, until the two lawsuits are resolved in the courts, further delays in relocating the monument can be expected.
