FORT SMITH, Ark — A Confederate soldier statue on the Bentonville square is preparing for a move to a private park near the Bentonville Cemetery, but the Confederate monument on the grounds of the Sebastian County Courthouse looks like it is staying put.
According to an agreement announced June 1 between the Arkansas Division United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Benton County Historical Society the Bentonville statue will move to a park that will be named James H. Berry Park with the process beginning in August.
The controversial statue was placed on the Bentonville square in 1908 and was mistakenly considered by some as a statue of former Arkansas Gov. James Berry who took office in 1882.
The statue is not of Berry, but is a common statue that is seen in many city squares and on courthouse lawns in the South. Berry helped pay for the statue, and a small plaque upon it in his honor following his death in 1913.
Berry is buried in the Bentonville cemetery.
“The process to relocate the monument will begin in August after the UDC submits an application under the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program to maintain the monument on the National Registry of Historic Places,” noted a statement from Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, who represented UDC. “After relocation, the Benton County Historical Society will own and operate the park and display the monument for the benefit of the residents of Benton County and the rich Civil War history of the Northwest Arkansas region. The UDC will continue to own the monument.”
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