Civil War statue in Bentonville on panel agenda

BENTONVILLE — A state board plans to discuss a proposal to move the Confederate monument from the square in downtown Bentonville.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program State Review Board in Little Rock will meet online Wednesday, and the monument is on its agenda.

The state division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy announced June 1 that it had agreed to move the statue after discussion with community leaders, according to a news release.

The statue has been on the downtown square since 1908. The property is owned by the county, and the statue is owned by the Daughters of the Confederacy, County Judge Barry Moehring said. Bentonville maintains the property, including beautification.

The monument has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.

The process of moving the monument involves the review board making a recommendation to State Historic Preservation Officer Stacy Hurst, who would consider it and then send a proposal to the National Park Service in Washington, said Melissa Whitfield, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. A response from the National Park Service usually takes 30 to 45 days, she said.

A National Register listing is honorary and doesn’t prevent an owner from doing whatever he wants with a property.

However, moving a property could cause it to lose its listing because the context of place is often part of what makes a property eligible for the register, Whitfield said.

The owners are trying to maintain the listing as the monument is moved to a new location, she said.

“It will remain in Bentonville and Benton County, whose Confederates the monument was meant to memorialize,” according to the paperwork.

The Daughters of the Confederacy would work with the Benton County Historical Society and other community members to move the monument to James H. Berry Park, a private park adjacent to the Bentonville Cemetery, where Berry is buried.

The cemetery is at 400 S.W. F St., just southwest of downtown.

The sculpture of a bearded soldier and its base are made of granite.

The monument was sponsored by the James H. Berry chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in honor of Benton County’s Confederate veterans, according to the Historic Places registration form. Berry paid $1,500 of the statue’s $2,500 cost, according to the form.

The agreement to move the statue would allow the Daughters of the Confederacy to display and preserve the historical significance of the monument and its connection to the history of Benton County in perpetuity, according to the group’s news release.

The Benton County Historical Society will own and operate the park and display the monument, according to the release.

“We believe (the) decision is in the best interest of preserving our state’s history, educating the public and memorializing Benton County veterans,” Joey McCutchen, who represents the state Daughters chapter, said in a June 1 news release. “The approach followed during this process could serve as a business model for other communities to follow and also a model of peace, civility and respect.”