Florence debates historical marker to add context to Confederate monument

Author: Valentina Chelala, FOX54 News

Published: 8:46 AM CST January 19, 2026

Updated: 6:23 AM CST January 20, 2026

FLORENCE, Ala. — Florence City Council will debate placing a historical marker in front of the Lauderdale County Courthouse to provide context about the Confederate monument there during Tuesday night's meeting. The resolution would authorize city officials to have the marker manufactured, installed, and funded.

Under Alabama law, the monument is considered historic and cannot be removed without state approval. The marker would be placed in the city right-of-way near the intersection of Court Street and College Street. The Lauderdale County Confederate monument was moved to its current location in front of the third courthouse when the building was constructed in 1965.

The Lauderdale County Confederate Soldiers Monument was originally dedicated in 1903. Most Confederate monuments, including the Lauderdale County statue, were erected later — between the 1890s and 1930s — during the end of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow laws. City officials say the marker is intended to give residents and visitors historical context about the statue and the era in which it was erected.

"I think it would be beneficial to the future generations, just so that they can understand the context," said Sanders Ingrum, a Killen resident, who added that visitors might view an unmarked Confederate statue as "a bad mark on the city."

Others believe the monument should remain as a memorial to local history.

"There's no way that you can erase history altogether," said Lane Tidwell of Killen. "There are a lot of people that were affected by the Civil War in Lauderdale County, and it stands there to remember those soldiers."

According to Thomas Boyd, a Florence resident, there were once plans to move the statue to Florence Cemetery, where a place was prepared. He believes the statue should be relocated there, noting that adding a plaque "cannot do any more damage than has already been done."

The resolution would authorize city officials to have the marker manufactured, installed and funded. City officials say the marker is intended to give residents and visitors historical context about the statue and the era in which it was erected.