The events in the last month have brought attention to the history of the Civil War, what the war stood for, and how do we pay respect to history while still giving respect to some who may have a different viewpoint. According to an article in Kentucky.com it appears that Lexington Mayor Jim Gray has been proactively working on the issue and it may not surprise any of you that a cemetery may play a prominent role in the solution for some confederate statues that are prominent in the city of Lexington.

The article states that the city is home to statues of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and John C. Breckinridge, a former United States Vice-President and Confederate Secretary of War.  Obviously, at some point in time and history these men were honored with statues placed in the City of Lexington.  Over a hundred years later the statues bring about some level of controversy, but nonetheless, they are part and parcel of that area’s history.

Mayor Gray is leading a movement to have the statues moved from the City grounds into the cemetery – Lexington Cemetery – where the men are buried.  He has been working with several organizations – including a minister group and members of the diversity community on the project.  According to the article, the Lexington Fayette – Urban County Council voted unanimously last month to move the statues from the former county courthouse.

The community is now waiting for movement approval of the Kentucky Military Heritage Council and acceptance of the statues by the Lexington Cemetery, which is a non-profit entity.  Private funds have already been pledged for the move and upkeep in the cemetery.

Funeral Director Daily take:  I’m a historian and even though as we learn more about events in history in retrospect, I’m very much of the opinion that history has its place.  I’m one for not destroying history but keeping it alive so that we can learn from it — good or bad.

It is also my opinion that moving these statues from a prominent place in the city of Lexington to a less prominent place in the cemetery where the men are buried may not be such a bad idea in lieu of what is now known of the Civil War and some of its participants coupled with the human rights issues our nation faced at the time.

Just be thinking – if you or your funeral home represent a cemetery or other public place – how you might be able to be a solution to a situation much like this in your community before it causes public discourse.