Harrison County statue removal to be discussed at commissioner’s court

By Carrie Provinsal | July 2, 2020 at 2:43 PM CDT - Updated July 5 at 10:31 PM

MARSHALL, Texas (KLTV) -On Wednesday, June 24, Demetria McFarland presented a petition, “Removal of Confederate statue from the Harrison County courthouse grounds” to the Harrison County Judge Chad Simms along with the County Commissioners. To date, that petition found on Change.org has 3,546 signatures.

In rebuttal to McFarland’s petition, Susan Chamberlain started her own “Harrison county /Marshall Texas Save Our Historical statues and monuments”. To date, this petition also found on Change.org has 1,621 signatures.

Removal of the statue will be the topic of Wednesday’s Harrison County Commissioner’s Court meeting for the public forum portion. The commissioners will not be discussing but Chamberlain will be presenting her opinion.

Both McFarland and Chamberlain attribute the erection of the statue to the United Daughters of the Confederacy who have acknowledged the current controversy in the nation over confederate monuments on their website.

“To some, these memorial statues and markers are viewed as divisive and thus unworthy of being allowed to remain in public places. To others, they simply represent a memorial to our forefathers who fought bravely during four years of war. These memorial statues and markers have been a part of the Southern landscape for decades.”

The United Daughters of the Confederacy