A controversial statue outside the Daviess County Courthouse is a step closer toward finding a new home.
The fiscal court voted in August to relocate a Confederate monument amid national unrest over police shootings involving African-Americans.
A relocation committee met Wednesday and narrowed down a list of potential sites to house the 120-year-old statue. Chairwoman Aloma Dew said the committee’s first choice is the Owensboro Museum of Science and History, followed by the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. Dew said the complete statue is too heavy to be housed at either museum and suggested the base of the monument be sent to the Panther Creek battlefield.
“Many people are concerned about the whole statue going to Panther Creek because of the fear of vandalism," Dew said. "Several of the letters have said we want it safe. We want it indoors.”
The statue depicts a soldier holding a rifle and bears the inscription, “To Our Confederate Heroes.”
The relocation committee will meet again Nov. 18 to finalize its recommendations to Daviess Fiscal Court, which will make the final decision on where the statue will be moved. The Kentucky chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has said it owns the statue and is considering a lawsuit if it doesn’t like where the monument is relocated.
