Columbus statue in Chester covered up
CHESTER » The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis has renewed protests over statues that many people say glorify racist or genocidal figures in American history.
In Philadelphia, the statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was taken down in the middle of the night after protesters tried to topple it during protests. In South Philadelphia, protesters and defenders have been squaring off over the Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza with the city now boxing up the statue as the fight moves to court to determine on its future.
Just down the road in Chester, there is another Columbus statue. It has recently been covered in a blue tarp. While Chester hasn’t seen a large number of protests, at least one group of residents took the time to stand in front of it with fists raised as seen on a post in the Chester Matters blog.
The statue is located in a little-visited park on Route 291 next to the Old Swedes burial ground at Market Square, not far from City
Hall. Placed in 1955, the statue was re-dedicated in 1995 by the October XII Lodge No. 486 of Order Sons of Italy in America (the original donor) and the Christopher Columbus Philatelic Society according to the website Columbus Monuments, which details monuments to Christopher Columbus worldwide.
The statue shows Christopher
Columbus dressed in 15th century clothing, kneeling after landing in the western hemisphere. He holds an orb in his left hand and carries a flag on a pole in his right hand. Below the statue are two bronze plaques on the marble base. One depicts a relief of Columbus’s three sailing ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria with the sun’s rays located in the proper left corner.
A granite marker in front of the statue depicts the Santa Maria and the words “Columbus Center Association 1938.” A black fence surrounds the monument and a plastic wreath sits in front.
City officials did not respond to calls and emails inquiring about their plans for the statue.