In a year where some Georgians are looking at the possibility of removing Confederate statues and monuments from public places, residents of Rome in Northwest Georgia are looking to raise money to repair their own piece of history.
The monument, which has stood in the city’s Myrtle Hill Cemetery since 1887, (this version of the statue since 1909) was vandalized earlier this month, having its hands knocked off and face smashed.
Rome Public Works Director Chris Jenkins examines the damage to the statue
With repairs to such an antique estimated at a whopping $200,000, the $2,500 pledged by the Myrtle Hill-Oak Hill Memorial Association seems a meager (though generous) jumping off point as concerned Rome residents look at their options to fix or replace the statue.
Local leaders were saddened by the act of vandalism, saying that they had not felt any anger in the community toward the monument and that it may have been someone from out of town trying to make a political statement at Rome’s expense.
Said Lisa Smith, executive director for the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau, “It is important to have places of historical significance. It not only helps us share our story, but we can learn and grow from it as well.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to try and raise funds for the statue’s repairs.
