Virginia Beach approves relocation of Confederate monument to private land

VIRGINIA BEACH — A statue of a Confederate soldier that once stood near Virginia Beach’s City Hall will be moved to private land in the southern part of the city and maintained by a foundation.

The City Council unanimously approved the relocation Tuesday. The monument has been in storage for three years.

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which provides visitor services to 20 Civil War battlefields and other related historic sites, will take over ownership and is partnering with two organizations that originally wanted to keep the statue in Virginia Beach: the United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter 435 and Princess Anne Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 484.

Two years ago, the Confederate groups and the foundation had originally proposed separate ideas for the monument, but the City Council didn’t accept either because both required the city to take on too much cost and responsibility.

Under the approved arrangement, the city will pay to move and install the 27-foot tall statue, pedestal and base next to an existing family cemetery on a private farm on Stowe Road, according to city documents. The foundation will be responsible for on-going maintenance.

Virginia Beach’s Confederate statue was originally placed outside of the old Princess Anne County Courthouse near Princess Anne and North Landing roads in 1905. The area was previously used to sell slaves. The Confederacy fought to preserve slavery and monuments honoring those soldiers were erected after the Civil War ended.

Activists held protests across the state in 2020 calling for the removal of the Confederate monuments amid nationwide anti-racism protests. In June 2020, city officials covered the monument and placed a barrier around it.

Virginia Beach removed the statue the following month and placed it in storage.

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is currently working to enhance and expand access to Civil War historic sites and will relocate a Confederate soldier statue that was removed from Charlottesville to a battlefield.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com