Valor Memorial Park: Wilmington’s Confederate Statues Quietly Removed to Davidson County
Valor Memorial Park: Wilmington’s Confederate Statues Quietly Removed to Davidson County
By Antionette Kerr
Publisher, Davidson Local
Five years after their removal from downtown Wilmington, two Confederate monuments have found a permanent home in Davidson County. Valor Memorial Park, located off Highway 8 in Denton, now houses the statues—one honoring Confederate soldiers and the other commemorating Wilmington native George Davis, a Confederate senator and attorney general.
The relocation to private property follows years of legal review and public speculation. Wilmington officials confirmed this month that the statues, removed in 2020 amid protests following the death of George Floyd, were claimed by Cape Fear 3 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The group had originally commissioned the monuments in 1909 and 1922 and was determined to hold legal ownership. After more than 100 days of protest and five years in storage, the statues were quietly moved to Davidson County.
According to the website Dixie Forever, “The memorials have been in storage for the past 5 years and are finally being relocated to a loving home, albeit about 150 miles on the other side of the state.”
Valor Memorial Park is resting place for relocated war monuments—it’s the product of local organizing, private donations, and a vision to honor veterans. Representatives of the nonprofit Commemorating Honor and the Robert E. Lee Chapter 324 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy worked quickly to transform the donated land. “This is about all veterans,” said chapter president Debra Barta.
The park also features a historic cabin with Revolutionary War and Confederate War memorabilia. In a previous article, it was said, “This is the first memorial,” said Commemorating Honor president Toni London, noting that the group’s work has largely remained out of “the mainstream.”
After the removal of Davidson County’s Confederate monument from Lexington’s square—where it had stood since 1905—Barta said the search began for a new location. That search ended when Korean War veteran James Goins and his wife Hilda of Lexington donated 1.5 acres of property in Denton to Commemorating Honor, Inc.
Organizers were initially reluctant to bring media attention to the rededication ceremony, but shared their story with Davidson Local after more than 500 people attended the commemoration. “Veterans are the focus,” they emphasized.
Whether viewed as historical preservation or contested symbolism, the arrival of these monuments in Davidson County marks a new chapter.
