Confederate statue, torn down in 2020, to be reinstalled in DC
A bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike — toppled in June 2020 during unrest following the killing of George Floyd — will soon return to Washington, D.C. The National Park Service (NPS) confirmed Monday that the White House has tasked them with restoring and reinstalling the statue in Judiciary Square.
Why the statue is coming back
The move follows executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” In a statement, the Park Service said the restoration “aligns with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation’s capital and re-instate pre-existing statues.”
According to Politico, Pike commanded a regiment of Native Americans who sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War. Union soldiers accused the unit of scalping Union soldiers in 1862. However, President Andrew Johnson later pardoned Pike. The Park Service notes the statue honors Pike primarily for his decades of post-war leadership in Freemasonry.
In 2020, demonstrators pulled the statue down with ropes and chains before setting it on fire. It has been in storage ever since, undergoing restoration at the Historic Preservation Training Center in Maryland. Site work for the reinstallation will soon begin, including repairs to broken stones and mounting components.
Pushback from local leaders
News of the restoration drew immediate criticism. Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district’s non-voting representative, announced she will introduce legislation to have the statue permanently removed and relocated to a museum.
“The decision to honor Albert Pike by reinstalling the Pike statue is as odd and indefensible as it is morally objectionable,” Norton said. “Pike served dishonorably. He took up arms against the United States, misappropriated funds, and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops.” She added, “I’ve long believed Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts, not remain in parks and locations that imply honor.”
Despite the opposition, the National Park Service says it plans to fully restore and reinstall the Pike statue this fall.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
