The Confederate statue formerly located on the lawn of the Daviess County courthouse will have a new home in an Owensboro paupers’ cemetery.
The Owensboro Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to deed a small portion of land in Potter’s Field to the Daviess County Fiscal Court. The land is located near the Elmwood Cemetery and serves as a burial ground for some indigent residents of Owensboro.
Owensboro City Manager Nate Pagan said the request for city land came after county leaders failed to find a suitable cemetery on county property to house the statue. An advisory committee recommended a local cemetery as the most appropriate place to move the statue after protests for its removal in 2020.
Pagan said the city will not be involved with the maintenance or upkeep of the statue or the land the commissioners transferred to the county.
“Our only involvement in this matter is to transfer this small piece of property to the county on which the statue will be placed,” Pagan said. “The county will own, maintain, and be solely responsible for the statue and the property on which it sits.”
The Daviess County Fiscal Court must now formally approve the agreement between the city and county. The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting is September 15.
