Danville church raises money to relocate Confederate statue

DANVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) — We have seen Confederate statues come down across the country over the last few weeks.

Often, the cost to move them is paid for by governments or private groups. But, in Danville a church is paying for the relocation of a statue.

“It is a demonstration that we do believe that Black Lives Matter and we believe that they matter to God and that they should matter to us,” says Rev. Caroline Kelly of The Presbyterian Church of Danville.

The monument of Confederate Capt. Robert E. Logan stands tall on the Presbyterian Church’s private property.

It’s been there since 1910 when the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans erected it.

“So that happened back in 1910 when we did not own the property. We have since acquired it back from the city in order to expand the facility,” says Rev. Kelly.

The church announced in October the statue would be moved to Bellevue Cemetery – where the captain is buried – saying the statue was affecting the church’s ability to serve the community.

“It’s just taken us this long to work through the process. It is quite the process because of the physical monument itself, the weight, and the cost to relocate it,” says the reverend.

The estimated cost to move the 15-ton statue? $55,000 and no taxpayer money will be used to do it. The church is raising the money and paying for the relocation.

It says it’s not about politics but about doing the right thing.

“It’s about our responsibility as Christians. What does it say about the body of Christ that we have a confederate monument on our property?” asks Rev. Kelly. “We’re trying to preserve the history and put it in a place where it can continue to tell its story in relationship to this community but not be a symbol of who we are.”

So far, the church has raised a little less than half the money needed to move the statue.

Anyone interested in contributing to the cost can online at this link. The church is also taking checks at the church on 500 W. Main Street, Danville, KY 40422. Make sure it’s designated to “monument relocation”.