Associated Press

STATESVILLE (AP) — Officials in Iredell County have voted to move a Confederate memorial that has stood outside the courthouse for more than a century.

The Statesville Record & Landmark reports that county commissioners voted 4 to 1 on Tuesday to relocate the memorial. It includes a granite base and a statue of a Confederate soldier.

Statesville’s Fourth Creek Cemetery and Oakwood Cemetery have been chosen as possible relocation sites. The Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 387 and the local chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy will be consulted regarding where the memorial goes.

The two cemeteries were chosen because many of Statesville’s soldiers who died in the Civil War were laid to rest there.

County Manager Beth Jones will also investigate the costs of relocation. The board says the county should pay for the move when funds become available.

Jones said that residents who want to comment on the statue’s future location should contact the county.

Confederate monuments across the southern U.S. have long been viewed by many as symbols of white supremacy. And they’ve drawn increasing attention following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.

Many of the memorials to the Confederacy are being taken down, whether by demonstrators opposed to racial injustice or by authorities seeking to dismantle them through official channels.