Opening of Monumental: Richmond’s Monuments (1607-2018)
Since Christopher Newport’s expedition planted a cross on the banks of the James River in 1607, Richmonders have marked the landscape to reflect their collective values. Monuments and memorials are objects that commemorate something, usually a person, a group of people, a place or an event. Accepted forms include statues, obelisks, landmark objects or art works such as sculptures or fountains. Richmond is the place where many of our state and national stories are commemorated since our colonial past to our diverse present. Of all the debates that have flared about Confederate memorials nationwide, perhaps no state has a bigger challenge on its hands than Virginia. The Old Dominion has more public monuments to the Confederacy than any other state — at least 223, according to a survey by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Texas, which is six times as large as Virginia, has 178.
