Confederate statues in Ky. to be relocated

LEXINGTON,Ky. — Mayor Jim Gray doesn’t have to watch footage of the violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend to know how divisive Confederate monuments can be.

At family reunions and holiday dinners his whole life, he has heard about his great-uncles fighting each other in the Civil War’s Battle of Shiloh. Two were on the Union’s side. One fought for the Confederacy.

Now, the 53-year-old mayor, who is white, is bracing for more controversy — and potentially worse, given the unrest in Charlottesville — after he announced plans on Saturday to move two Confederate monuments from prominent places near Lexington’s historic courthouse.

Lexington is turning the Fayette County courthouse into a center for visitors, complete with a restaurant, office space and a bourbon bar. The $30 million renovation is part of the city’s effort to position itself as a welcoming, progressive beacon of the new South, Mr. Gray said. Standing in the way of that are two statues that honor Confederate leaders — and that many see as a symbol of racism and white supremacy.

One statue honors John Hunt Morgan, the “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy,” who owned a hemp factory and wool mill and organized the independent Lexington Rifles infantry company in 1857. A few years later, the riflemen took up arms against the Union.

Ata nearby park is a statue of John C. Breckinridge, a former U.S. vice president who was kicked out of the Senate after he joined the Confederate army. He served as the last Confederate secretary of war.

If Lexington’s City Council and the Kentucky Military Heritage Commission give their approval, the statues would be placed in a nearby park honoring veterans, Mr. Gray said.