(Franklin, Ohio) Update: It was the fight over a confederate statue that sparked the violent demonstrations in Virginia. Now a confederate memorial in Franklin has been removed from public sight.
The memorial to Robert E. Lee had sat along Dixie Highway for the past 90 years. It was removed overnight.
The city of Franklin says it will return the memorial to its original owner, Franklin Township. The plaque, affixed to a rock foundation, was dedicated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Friends in 1927.
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(Franklin, Ohio) The City of Franklin says a monument to a Confederate general is coming down after all.
A statement Wednesday evening from the Acting City Manager Jonathan Westendorf says that a monument to Robert E Lee marking the Dixie Highway, at the intersection of Dixie and Hamilton-Middletown Road, will be removed.
Nearby Franklin Township announced earlier Wednesday that the plaque attached to a rock foundation would not be taken down, but the City of Franklin says the land the monument is on is in the city's jurisdiction. The statement says the monument is within the Right of Way of Dixie Highway, which is "exclusively within the municipality of Franklin" since it was annexed in the mid 1990s.
Franklin city leaders say "Right of Ways must remain clear to avoid the creation of a public safety hazard."
The statement goes on to say that "The City of Franklin has notified our Township neighbors that our crews will remove the monument and return their property to their selected location forthwith."
According to the plaque, the monument was erected in 1927 and was dedicated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Friends.