Even before an announcement came about a Saturday demonstration to remove Old Joe, Gainesville's monument to the Confederacy, there was talk about dismantling the memorial - and about preserving it.
The statue was erected in 1909 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and is symbolic of all Confederate soldiers, not just one soldier in particular. At a rally Tuesday in Gainesville, organized in response to a deadly Charlottesville, Virginia demonstration a week ago, some folks expressed that they felt it is time to bid "Old Joe" goodbye.
"That statue needs to come down, like other statues in the South," one man said. "It represents hatred - it doesn't represent the good."
However, another man Thursday, who traveled to Gainesville just to see the statue, said he sees no reason why "Joe" should not remain.
"I think sometimes people misinterpret what these statues mean and tearing them down," he said. "To me, it is just a way of erasing history."
Many Confederate memorials have a soldier standing 'at ready' like "Joe." One characteristic of Gainesville's symbol of all Confederate soldiers is that he is facing North. Legend has it he is keeping an eye out for Yankee invaders.
While "Old Joe" stands in the middle of the Gainesville square, that interior parcel of property is owned by Hall County; it's the place where the old county courthouse once stood. The portion of the interior property where the 'Old Joe' statue stands is leased to the Gen. James Longstreet Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy.
Though some voices are getting louder calling for the dismantling of the monument, removing "Old Joe" would take action by the County Commission.
Editor's note: A rally in opposition to the "Old Joe" monument is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, August 19.
