Confederate monument to be moved from St. Augustine plaza to new location

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Confederate monument in downtown St. Augustine, Florida, will be moved from the spot it has occupied since 1879.

The memorial will move to Trout Creek Fish Camp about 19 miles away. The new location was volunteered by the property’s owner, Randy Ringhaver.

Ringhaver also offered to build a park setting, with lighting, sidewalks and seating at his own expense. His proposal would save the city $32,000, according to Action News Jax.

“It is previously known as Pacetti Fish Camp,” Melissa Wissel, communications manager for the city of St. Augustine, told Action News Jax. “So there is a descendant relationship there with the descendants that are named on the memorial.”

Several other private property owners submitted proposals to local government to request the memorial.

The monument, built to honor Confederate soldiers killed in the Civil War, will take two to four weeks to move.

Jeremy Patterson works for Progressive Construction, the company in charge of transporting the monument. He said his family has been moving historic structures for years. He’s proud to play a part in preserving history, even if it means moving it to a new location.

“Other cities are going through in the middle of the night trying to take down the statues,” Patterson told Action News Jax. “We want to do it in daylight hours. We want to know who’s doing it. We’re not here to cover up our names. We’re not here to hide from everybody.”

He continued: “We’re honored to be part of everything we save cause it’s there for the next generation.”

A spokesperson for the City of St. Augustine said the relocation process will cost approximately $235,000.

Read the original story on ActionNewsJax.com.

Cox Media Group