Sponsored by: AIA-Kentucky Society, University of Louisville
Amid recent efforts to remove Confederate Monuments throughout cities in the South, the City of Louisville removed its monument situated on a public street in the middle of the University of Louisville’s main campus. During disassembly of the monument, a cornerstone box containing commemorative objects was found. This presentation discusses these objects and their relationship to the “Lost Cause” movement espoused by ex-Confederates. It also examines the battle for the memorial landscape and the monument itself as a symbol of ex-Confederate power that perpetuated the “Lost Cause” narrative into the present day.