Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130036
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The town of York, Maine - like hundreds of others across the United States at the turn of the century - erected a granite Civil War soldier as a memorial in the center of town.
But there's this little problem.
The 6-foot-8-inch soldier residents have been paying homage to for 88 years isn't a Yankee.
He's a Confederate, and he's a long way from home on the rocky shores of Maine.
Furthermore, while the Rebel statue stands watch over the cold New England coast, a granite Yankee keeps close eye over Kingstree, S.C, about an hour north of where the war's first shots were fired.
Switched at birth?
Neither community knows for sure.
The mystery began unfolding last week. York, profiled recently in a story by the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, has been paying homage for 88 years to a Civil War memorial that features a Confederate soldier - with a striking resemblance to Col. Sanders.
The townfolk think their Yankee statue may have mistakenly been sent south after a manufacturer's mixup. York resident Rick Souza, on a crusade to solve the mystery, began contacting Southern towns that may have received a statue of dubious heritage around the turn of the century.
Enter Kingstree.
"When I read the story, the first thing I thought of was our Yankee statue,'' Frances Ward of the Kingstree Historical Society said Tuesday.
``I don't know if this is the one they're looking for or not. But it seems pretty odd that they have a Confederate in Maine, and we just happen to have a Yankee in South Carolina.''
The situation is just as curious to folks 1,500 miles due north.
``The first time I saw [the York statue], I knew he didn't look like any Yankee I'd ever seen,'' Souza said.
The soldier has a brimmed, fedora-style hat that Souza says was more common in the Confederate Army. His belt buckle has a large ``SA'' on it that could stand for CSA - Confederate States of America.
``There is no question about it: The statue in the center of town is a Confederate soldier,'' said Virginia Spiller, librarian for the Old York Historical Society. ``There's a lot of speculation but no documentation on how he ended up here.''
Hundreds of mass-produced Civil War memorials were erected around the country in the half-century following the war. The York statue was cast by Frederick Barnicoat of Quincy, Mass. The town dedicated it May 2, 1906. Former Gen. Joshua Chamberlain - a Union hero at Gettysburg and governor of Maine - presided at the ceremonies.
Little is known about the origins of the Kingstree monument other than it may have been erected as early as 1910. The statue was reportedly moved in the late 1950s to its present location on the Williamsburg County Courthouse square.
The mixed-up monument mystery may never be unraveled. In fact, it is growing weirder by the day.
Several Charlotte Observer readers called to say they've also seen granite warriors wearing the wrong uniform in the wrong place - one as far away as Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
``It was a long time ago, there's not much in the way of documents, and anyone who would be in a position to know is dead,'' said Tom Johnson, York's curator.
``Only in a small town could a story like this take place - something everybody knows but nobody talks about. It's a great yarn.''
Souza, a former United Methodist minister, admits he may be embarking on a wild-goose chase.
His research has turned up several possible explanations for the soldier's origin.
``One story is that the statue company made them a good deal on some leftover Confederates,'' Souza said.
``I do believe there were plenty of veterans still alive in 1909 that would have easily spotted this was no Yankee. I think there was a conspiracy of silence by town officials.''
That's what local lore says: that town officials knew about the mix-up at some point but refused to acknowledge it, Spiller said.
``We may never know how this Rebel ended up in Maine,'' Souza said.
Too far south: This granite Yankee keeps watch over Kingstree, S.C.|
By Dan Huntley
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
KINGSTREE, S.C. - Another Civil War soldier - AWOL for nearly a century - has been found deep behind enemy lines.
While a Rebel statue stands watch over the cold New England coast, a granite Yankee keeps close eye over this small Southern town, about an hour north of where the war's first shots were fired.
Switched at birth?
Neither community knows for sure.
The mystery began unfolding last week. York, Maine, profiled recently in a story by the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, has been paying homage for 88 years to a Civil War memorial that features a Confederate soldier - with a striking resemblance to Col. Sanders.
The townfolk think their Yankee statue may have mistakenly been sent south. A York resident began contacting Southern towns that may have received a statue of dubious heritage around the turn of the century.
Enter Kingstree, about 135 miles southeast of Charlotte.
``When I read the story, the first thing I thought of was our Yankee statue,'' Frances Ward of the Kingstree Historical Society said Tuesday.
``I don't know if this is the one they're looking for or not. But it seems pretty odd that they have a Confederate in Maine, and we just happen to have a Yankee in South Carolina.''
The situation is just as curious to folks 1,500 miles due north.
``The story has caused quite a stir up here. Lots of phone calls from folks who can't believe we have a Confederate statue in our town,'' said Tom Johnson, curator of the Old York (Maine) Historical Society, who has fielded a half-dozen calls from newspapers and two TV stations this week.
Hundreds of mass-produced Civil War memorials were erected around the country in the half-century following the war. The York, Maine, statue was cast by Frederick Barnicoat of Quincy, Mass. The town dedicated it May 2, 1906. Former Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain - a Union hero at Gettysburg and governor of Maine - presided at the ceremonies.
Little is known about the origins of the Kingstree monument other than it may have been erected as early as 1910. The statue was reportedly moved in the late 1950s to its present location on the Williamsburg County Courthouse square.
The mixed-up monument mystery may never be unraveled. In fact, it is growing weirder by the day.
Several Charlotte Observer readers called to say they've also seen granite warriors wearing the wrong uniform in the wrong place - one as far away as Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
``It was a long time ago, there's not much in the way of documents and anyone who would be in a position to know is dead,'' said Johnson, York's curator, of the oddity.
And he doubts there will be any exchange of soldiers at the Mason-Dixon Line.
``I think folks here have grown kind of fond of the old guy, they're reluctant to part with him,'' he said.
``New Englanders are funny like that; he's part of the town now.''
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by CNB