Jackson County leaders vote to keep Confederate statue in Sylva -- with changes

SYLVA, N.C. (WLOS) — Jackson County commissioners voted Tuesday to keep a Confederate statue in front of the historic courthouse in Sylva, but they also agreed to some changes. That decision is getting plenty of reaction.

“I don't feel that it's representative of our community,” said Destri Leger, with the group Reconcile Sylva.

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“I would hate to see the statue go,” resident Patrick McGuire said.

In an era of racial tension, the Confederate statue known as "Sylva Sam" overlooking the town is sparking debate. Sylva leaders sent Jackson County commissioners a resolution asking for its removal from the old county courthouse, out of town limits.

“I made a motion that we deny Sylva's request,” Commission Chairman Brian McMahan said.

McMahan was part of a 4-1 vote Tuesday night to keep the statue where it is. But he said the board also agreed to an amendment.

“We are going to add a plaque to the front of the statue base covering up the Confederate flag with a list of Jackson County's involvement in the Civil War,” he said. “Our ‘Heroes of the Confederacy' will be removed from the base.”

McMahan said it's a compromise.

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“It doesn't really feel like a compromise because in essence the heroes of the Confederacy are still going to be honored whether the statue says, 'Heroes of the Confederacy' or not,” Reconcile Sylva member Jessie Swinkford said.

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“We have got all the momentum that we need to keep it going as long as it takes to see that statue removed,” Leger said.

The group Jackson County Unity Coalition sees the statue as a memorial to many families who sacrificed during the war.

The president of the local NAACP said he would have preferred the statue's removal. But, he said, he sees the compromise, too, reworking the statue's context. He said questions will remain.

“So, what are we going to do as a community to essentially address the climate of racial tension,” Enrique Gomez asked.

Residents understand the debate is likely to continue.

“I think taking down of the Confederate flag and repurposing it to fallen soldiers, I think it’s the perfect compromise,” McGuire said.

Reconcile Sylva said the statue belongs, perhaps, in one of the Civil War cemeteries in the county.

Jackson County Unity Coalition said it will continue pushing its point of view, as well.

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