Hall County and Gainesville officials are in talks with the United Daughters of the Confederacy to potentially move the “Old Joe” centerpiece statue from the downtown square.
While conversations regarding the official movement of the statue are still in the early phase, there is some talk that the “Old Joe” monument might be moved to what officials are calling “a more suitable location,” sometime in the future.
Three entities involved in the decision have previously met, according to Hall County Administrator Zach Propes.
“I will confirm that there was a meeting with three entities, that’s Hall County, the City of Gainesville and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, where we discussed the future of the monument,” Propes said Wednesday.
Old Joe currently stands in the center of the downtown Gainesville Square on a 14-foot by 10-foot plot of land that is owned by the county, rather than the city. Hall County is currently leasing the spot to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, according to Propes.
The ownership and leasing agreement creates a difficult position for the City of Gainesville to redevelop the interior of the square. Mayor Sam Couvillon believes that with all the momentum seen in improving the outer edge of the downtown square, the center of the square needs to be improved as well.
“The driving force is to redevelop the square to make it more user-friendly,” Couvillon said. “If we're going to do that, the thought is to try to relocate Joe, to what we would consider a more suitable place. Now, we understand that the Daughters of the Confederacy have a lease, and we want to be respectful of that. So the only way we would ever do this is if we could work in conjunction with them and find a suitable place to relocate the statue.”
Couvillon noted several goals for the square center, saying he would love to see more open space where families could possibly picnic. Currently, planters and a high number of trees fill the center of the square, which limits seating and grass availability.
Should a central square redevelopment take place after the potential movement of the statue, Couvillon believes it would be “a home run that most everybody would enjoy.”
The current discussions between the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Hall County and Gainesville still rest in the early stages — nothing has officially been decided, according to Couvillon.
AccessWDUN reached out to the United Daughters of the Confederacy for comment but received no response.
Old Joe was unveiled on the downtown square in 1909. He stands on a plinth with the following words inscribed: “Our Confederate Soldiers. The Confederate Patriots. The record of whose fortitude and heroism in the service of their country is the proud heritage of a loyal posterity. Tell ye children of it and let your children tell their children and their children another generation.”
