Jefferson Davis statue to be dedicated
A statue of Jefferson Davis that seemed as orphaned as one of the little boys whose hand he holds in the bronze sculpture has found a permanent home at Beauvoir, the estate where Davis retired.
The life-sized casting of Davis, his 5-year-old son Joe Davis and the other boy of the same age, Jim Limber, will be dedicated Saturday morning during Beauvoir’s Confederate Memorial Day observance. An old-fashion picnic will be followed by a service at the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate.
What sets apart this year’s annual observance — Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday — is the unveiling of the statue that couldn’t find a home. Published reasons often skirted the issue of acknowledging the Confederacy and the fact that the orphaned Limber was born a slave.
Rick Forte Sr., Beauvoir’s acting director since Hurricane Katrina destroyed all but the 1850s antebellum house, is happy at the outcome.
“We think this is the perfect place, and we’ll move it in front of the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library after it is completed,” said Forte. “The statue is a connection to history that a lot of people don’t want to believe, that the Davises had good relationships with slaves and blacks.”...
Read entire article at Biloxi Sun-Herald
The life-sized casting of Davis, his 5-year-old son Joe Davis and the other boy of the same age, Jim Limber, will be dedicated Saturday morning during Beauvoir’s Confederate Memorial Day observance. An old-fashion picnic will be followed by a service at the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate.
What sets apart this year’s annual observance — Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday — is the unveiling of the statue that couldn’t find a home. Published reasons often skirted the issue of acknowledging the Confederacy and the fact that the orphaned Limber was born a slave.
Rick Forte Sr., Beauvoir’s acting director since Hurricane Katrina destroyed all but the 1850s antebellum house, is happy at the outcome.
“We think this is the perfect place, and we’ll move it in front of the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library after it is completed,” said Forte. “The statue is a connection to history that a lot of people don’t want to believe, that the Davises had good relationships with slaves and blacks.”...