DANVILLE, Ky. — For more than two years, the Presbyterian Church of Danville has been trying to relocate a confederate monument off of their property.
What You Need To Know
- Presbyterian Church Of Danville has been working for two years to relocate the statue of Captain Robert D. Logan
- Logan was a Boyle County resident and Confederate officer
- The church would like to relocate the statue to Bellevue Cemetery where 66 confederate soldiers are buried, including Captain Logan
- The church is working to raise $55,000 to pay for the equipment and relocation of the monument
“The impression that one gets when you drive up to the church that has property on which a Confederate symbol is located is incompatible with the story that we want to tell about who we are as a welcoming community that is called to love and serve all of our neighbors,” Pastor Caroline Kelly said.
Kelly said they've been working with the city and raising money to relocate the statue of Captain Robert D. Logan.
“We recognize that it's important if we want to build bridges with all members of our community to relocate this to a place where it can continue to tell its story, but where we can tell our story without this obstacle,” Kelly said.
Captain Logan was a Boyle County resident and a Confederate Officer. The monument was dedicated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to all the soldiers who fought and died for the Confederacy.
The church has been working with the Kentucky UCD office to help relocate the statue to a more fitting location – the Bellevue Cemetery.
“Logan is buried in the family plot in Bellevue cemetery, and the place that we had picked for it to go is right next to the 66 graves of the Confederate soldiers,” Kelly said.
Kelly said their church community has been working hard to relocate the statue because they believe it contradicts everything the church stands for. Presbyterian Church of Danville is located near Centre College and Kelly said they're even gaining support from students on campus who want to see the statue relocated.
“There's been a movement by the students at Centre to sort of confronting some of the issues that they think is important with regard to race, within their own community," Kelly said. "But because it's overlooked so much of the college property and they're seeing it every day it's a symbol, again, of that sense of feeling unwelcome and people not taking seriously their concerns."
The church needs to raise about $55,000 to relocate the statue to the cemetery location, they currently have around $46,000 of their goal secured.