Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a leading Confederate General in the Civil War who was killed by friendly fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Jackson never came to Charlottesville, except in his own funeral procession to Lexington for burial.
In October 1921, a statue of Jackson was unveiled here beside the courthouse. 1921 was a year of a lot racial tension in Charlottesville. In February, a local Black newspaper published an op-ed which called for equal treatment for African Americans, and Black parents petitioned the City government for the formation of a Black high school in Charlottesville for their children. White backlash was vehement: leading white leaders condemned Black aspirations for equal rights, hundreds of Ku Klux Klanmen had a cross-burning at Monticello, and the Klan held large meetings at the courthouse.
As with other statue installation ceremonies, the 1921 unveiling of the Jackson statue was a spectacle for the city that attracted thousands of people. The dedication was organized by local chapters of neo-Confederate groups and the city was decorated with Confederate flags for the occasion. Stores and schools closed for the day so that attendance was swelled by students, teachers, University of VIrginia faculty and its President, business, religious and civic leaders -- including many local and state dignitaries. The Jackson statue installation functioned as a virtual campaign event for a candidate for statewide political office, and speeches reminded the audience about Jim Crow restrictions. The future governor spoke, and declared that, “Virginia is careful that the evil days of reconstruction shall not return.”
The park where the Jackson statue stood was formerly the location of McKee Row, a predominantly Black neighborhood that the city replaced with a whites-only park that venerated the Confederacy. The 2016 Blue Ribbon Commission report stated: “The presence of the Jackson sculpture has perpetuated a false Lost Cause historical narrative for Charlottesville and has made many members of our community feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in the park.”
On September 5, 2017 -- a month after the deadly Unite the Right rally -- the Charlottesville City Council voted to remove the Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson statue. Onlookers cheered as it was finally removed 4 years later on July 10, 2021.
