Confederate Memorial Fountain (Helena, Montana)
| Confederate Memorial Fountain | |
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The memorial in April 2017
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| General information | |
| Type | Fountain |
| Address | Hill Park |
| Town or city | Helena, Montana |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 46°35′36″N 112°02′24″W / 46.59326°N 112.03992°WCoordinates: 46°35′36″N 112°02′24″W / 46.59326°N 112.03992°W |
| Completed | 1916 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George H. Carsley |
The Confederate Memorial Fountain was a historic fountain in tribute to confederate soldiers in Helena, Montana's Hill Park, in the United States. It was conferred by the City of Helena Counsel, through its "Special Committee on the Great Northern Park" (previous name of Hill park), and the United Daughters of the Confederacy as reported verbally May 3, 1915 by Alderman Riddell. It was installed in 1916 and presented when "the speaker lauded the present-day American spirit, a spirit of union with no feeling between the old north and south, which caused such bitterness and sorrow years ago. Both sides are now engaged in building up a better country to live in, making their homes more comfortable, their cities more beautiful." "...I present this fountain to the city of Helena as a token of our esteem toward our new home.”
The fountain was the only monument to the confederacy located in the Northwestern United States and was removed on August 18, 2017.
The fountain was commissioned by the Winnie Davis chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1915. It was built with Montana granite and designed by architect George H. Carsley. Two inscriptions on the fountain read, "A Loving Tribute to Our Confederate Soldiers." and "By the Daughters of the Confederacy in Montana, A.D. 1916.". The fountain was renovated in 1971, and again in 2008.
The fountain was the only monument to the confederacy located in the Northwestern United States. In the region, a few other place names and one dam included the name "Confederate," plus one elementary school in Washington State was named after Robert E. Lee
In July 2015, in the wake of the Charleston church shooting, some city officials considered renaming it as the "Civil War Memorial fountain". However, the Lewis & Clark County Heritage Tourism Council suggested they should keep the historic name and contextualize its establishment. Helena Mayor Jim Smith agreed that the historic name should be kept. By October 2015, they agreed to add a sign to contextualize the fountain. However, Mayor Jim Smith turned down the suggestion to add a disclaimer on the grounds that it was unnecessary. Nevertheless, by January 2016, city officials discussed adding a sign using language drafted by the Montana Historical Society containing a disclaimer about the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacy.
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Wikipedia