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Montgomery: Still the heart of Confederacy

Original capital of Confederacy celebrates history of Civil War
A small Confederate flag stands next to hundreds of Confederate soldier grave stones in Montgomery’s Oakwood Cemetery. The cemetery was founded in 1812. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
Chris Flood
May 4, 2018
The main office building for the Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bays Rays, was a Confederate military prison in 1862. Some 700 Union soldiers called this building home from April to December. Nearly 200 died in captivity. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
A grand staircase leads to the Alabama Confederate Monument on Capitol Hill in downtown Montgomery, Alabama’s state capital. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
The Alabama Confederate Monument was dedicated Dec. 7, 1898. Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis laid the cornerstone in 1886. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
The 88-foot-tall Alabama Confederate Monument commemorates the 122,000 Alabamians who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
This house served as the first White House of the Confederacy from February 1861 until late May 1861. Jefferson Davis called it home. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
This high school in southern Montgomery is named for former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
A statue of Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis stands tall next to the steps leading into the Alabama State Capitol. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
Almost all events during the Equal Justice Initiative’s Peace and Justice Summit were held in the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa. Tucked back and partially hidden by a tree, this memorial depicting the seal and flags of the Confederate Army was on a sidewalk outside of the hotel. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
This high school in east Montgomery is named for Confederate Army Commander Robert E. Lee. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
Court Square in downtown Montgomery is a picturesque fountain today, but it was once the site of a slave auction market. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
The train station along the Alabama River in Montgomery was a key distribution point for slaves in the 1800s. Between 1808 and 1860, the slave population in Alabama grew from 40,000 to more than 435,000. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO

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PDF icon Read about the Equal Justice Initiative and founder Bryan Stevenson, as published in the Cape Gazette.

The civil rights movement has strong roots  in Montgomery, yet in many ways, the city remains the heart of what remains of the Confederate States of America.

In downtown Montgomery, the state capital has an 88-foot-tall marker, the Alabama Confederate Monument, honoring fallen Confederate soldiers. On another side of the capital, a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis towers over the sidewalk below. Serving as reminders for citizens and visitors alike, signs, plaques, memorials and more statues – noting historically significant events and places of the Confederacy – can be found all across the city.

It’s not just historical markers serving as reminders. Three days before the April 26 opening of the opening of the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery’s government offices were closed in recognition of Confederate Memorial Day. The holiday is one of three official state holidays honoring the Confederacy in Alabama – Robert E. Lee’s birthday is observed on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in January and Jefferson Davis’ birthday is observed on the first Monday in June.

 

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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