Confederate Memorial Fountain (Helena, Montana)


The Confederate Memorial Fountain was a historic fountain in Helena, Montana, and the only monument to The Confederacy located in the Northwestern United States. Erected in Hill Park in 1916, the fountain was removed on August 18, 2017.

History

The fountain was commissioned in 1915 by the Winnie Davis Chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy. The project was approved by the City of Helena Council, through its "Special Committee on the Great Northern Park", as reported verbally May 3, 1915 by Alderman Riddell. It was designed by architect George H. Carsley, and built of Montana granite. Its dedication was on September 5, 1916: "The speaker lauded the present-day American spirit, a spirit of union with no feeling between the old north and south, which caused such bitterness and sorrow years ago. Both sides are now engaged in building up a better country to live in, making their homes more comfortable, their cities more beautiful." "...I present this fountain to the city of Helena as a token of our esteem toward our new home.”
The fountain's two inscriptions read: "A Loving Tribute to Our Confederate Soldiers," and "By the Daughters of the Confederacy in Montana, A.D. 1916." It was renovated in 1971, and again in 2008.
The fountain was the only monument to the Confederacy located in the Northwestern United States. In the region, a few other place names and one dam included the name "Confederate," plus one elementary school in Washington State was named after Robert E. Lee
In July 2015, in the wake of the Charleston church shooting, some city officials considered renaming it as the "Civil War Memorial fountain". However, the Lewis & Clark County Heritage Tourism Council suggested they should keep the historic name and contextualize its establishment. Helena Mayor Jim Smith agreed that the historic name should be kept. By October 2015, they agreed to add a sign to contextualize the fountain. However, Mayor Jim Smith turned down the suggestion to add a disclaimer on the grounds that it was unnecessary. Nevertheless, by January 2016, city officials discussed adding a sign using language drafted by the Montana Historical Society containing a disclaimer about the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacy.

Removal

In August 2017, in the wake of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, members of the Native American caucus in the Montana House of Representatives and the Montana Senate asked the City of Helena to remove the fountain in a letter. They included Democrats and one Republican: Shane Morigeau, Jonathan Windy Boy, Bridget Smith, George Kipp III, Susan Webber, Sharon Stewart-Peregoy, Rae Peppers, and Jason Small. A similar letter was sent by Helena-area legislators Mary Caferro, Jill Cohenour, Kim Abbott, Mary Ann Dunwell, Jenny Eck, Janet Ellis and Moffie Funk. As a result, the city commission asked the city manager, Ron Alles, to remove the fountain.
Bruce Whittenberg, a former newspaper publisher and the director of the Montana Historical Society, argued that the fountain should not be removed, as it could be used "as a teachable moment." Pam Attardo, Lewis and Clark County's historic preservation officer, objected to the removal and argued that the fountain was not "a symbol of hatred itself" as opposed to the Confederate flag. Chere Jiusto, the executive director of Montana Preservation Alliance, suggested it should be moved to "a setting where people can learn from our history."
The fountain was removed from the park on August 18, 2017. The removal was attended by 15–20 protesters, some of whom had spent the night in the park. Some protesters carried Confederate, Gadsden, Montana and US flags. Two protesters in their sixties were arrested for obstructing the work of the crew removing the fountain.

Replacement

The old fountain was on April 27, 2020. Fundraising to replace the old fountain was started by members of the same day that the city decided to remove it. Helena resident Ron Waterman successfully completed the community fundraising campaign, and managed the process of selecting the artist who was commissioned to create the Equity Fountain.