Shawn P. Quigley
The Confederate Monument in Boston Harbor: An exploration of one of Massachusetts’ only markers dedicated to the Confederacy
In late May of 1963, members of the Civil War centennial commission gathered on Georges Island to witness the unveiling of a new monument. Described by historian Edward Rowe Snow as “one of the most important services ever held at Fort Warren” this was not a marker dedicated to soldiers who fought for the Union, but rather to the Confederate prisoners who died on the island.
Though largely forgotten, what is believed to be one of Massachusetts only monuments dedicated to the Confederacy, received substantial attention in the summer of 2017 as a part of the national conversation on monuments to the Lost Cause. This program will explore the history of that marker, the organization who erected it, and the broader national dialogue about how we remember the American Civil War.
Shawn P. Quigley (shawn_p_quigley@nps.gov) is a U.S. National Park Ranger, Boston African American National Historic Site. He interprets the history of the African American community that lived on Beacon Hill in Boston from the Revolution to the Civil War. This includes 1.5 hour long walking tours of the Black Heritage Trail and staffing the Museum of African American History.