Confederate Park In Memory of the Women of Our Southland 1915

[The_Choose_1]

For some of you here on MetroJacksonville that want the Confederate Park's name to be changed. Why because the WOMEN of the Southland had it changed from Dignan Park to Confederate Park. "In Memory of the Women of Our Southland
During the Spanish American War, the land comprising this park was the campsite of the 49th Regiment of Iowa Infantry, waiting to embarq to the theater of war.  This land became Dignan Park, and was the location in 1914 of the 24th annual national reunion of the United Confederate Veterans.   Some 8,000 veterans and tens of thousands of onlookers participated in the event, and in recognition the city renamed the park as Confederate Park (see the Newsreel of the reunion on the Florida Memory website, http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/video/video.cfm?VID=2).

On October 26, 1915, the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument was dedicated "In memory of the women of our southland."  The monument, which had a total cost of $25,000, was erected by the Florida Division of the United Confederate Veterans with the assistance of an appropriation of $13,000 from the Florida legislature." Leave this name alone it hurts no one. Names can piss people off but they can't hurt anyone a lot like a gun can't kill it takes a human to pull the trigger.   http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/civilwar/monuments/jacksonville-evergreen-cemetery/confederate-park

[thelakelander]

Here's a few images of the monument mentioned:







With that said, the park has seen better days. It would be good for a group like this to spend some extra time helping maintain and improve the park, IMO.

[The_Choose_1]

Here's a few images of the monument mentioned:







With that said, the park has seen better days. It would be good for a group like this to spend some extra time helping maintain and improve the park, IMO.

Your right it would be a good idea. But some rich folks couldn't pull a penny out of their tight butt even if God was telling them to.

[Tacachale]

Here's a few images of the monument mentioned:







With that said, the park has seen better days. It would be good for a group like this to spend some extra time helping maintain and improve the park, IMO.

Agreed. And perhaps restore the name to Dignan Park.

[The_Choose_1]

Here's a few images of the monument mentioned:







With that said, the park has seen better days. It would be good for a group like this to spend some extra time helping maintain and improve the park, IMO.

Agreed. And perhaps restore the name to Dignan Park.

If you get this done I want MLK Street to be called 20th street once more.

[camarocane]

Don't forget changing Rosa Parks Bus Station as well. I don't believe it's historically accurate as she never used the station

[The_Choose_1]

Don't forget changing Rosa Parks Bus Station as well. I don't believe it's historically accurate as she never used the station

Amen

[thelakelander]

The last few posts make it seem like this is a white vs black thing. For some reason, if it were agreed to rename Rosa Parks Station and Confederate Park after local figures, I believe some would still be pissed.

[Tacachale]

One difference is, of course, that Dignan had a major impact on the city. The same can't be said for Professor 20th Street or Dr. FCCJ Skyway Station. Another is that MLK and Rosa Parks aren't remotely controversial. But y'all already knew that.

[I-10east]

Who was Dignan? I take it that the street in the Lackawanna area was named after him, along with the now Confederate Park.

[UNFurbanist]

MLK didn't exactly start a rebellion or kill and enslave millions of people. Confederate Park makes it seem like only confederates of the southland are welcome and it being in the heart of the city near a racially mixed neighborhood is also in bad taste IMO. That being said, keep the current monuments, change the park name to something neutral (Dignan, City Park, Emerald Necklace Park, Hogan Creek Park whatever) and maybe add a monument representing the civil rights struggle in Jax and we can call it square. My great great grandfather was a confederate in the Virginia calvary and I was born in a small southern town and I still don't get why anyone gives a rats ass about the confederacy. History is important but is renaming a park something that doesn't alienate a majority of the people that visit going to make people suddenly forget the civil war happened? No. So lets just give it up shall we?

To me naming a park after them basically sends a message of "Gosh, we really liked and miss these people. Wish they were still around to round up all the blacks as slaves again and kick these northerners out. A damn shame really. So let it be known that this park is a little piece of the confederacy in our time!  <3" Crazy.

[thelakelander]

Who was Dignan? I take it that the street in the Lackawanna area was named after him, along with the now Confederate Park.

Peter A Dignan was one of early Jacksonville's most active and valued citizens. He played a significant role in Jax becoming Florida's first large city. He was a councilman, the Chairman of the Board of Public Works and the city's postmaster during the course of his late 19th century/early 20th century career. He was also Catholic and considered liberal. I personally have not spent much time researching him but some believe the renaming of the park had something to do with his "progressive" principles.

here's a picture of him: https://books.google.com/books?id=WmktAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA9-PA15&lpg=RA9-PA15&dq=peter+A+dignan+chairman+board+of+public+works&source=bl&ots=xrNMnddLf8&sig=3bRk8K2SgnNZBZ-e5dcmiLLu9h8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAmoVChMI0tqArsSdyAIVgdWACh3Z1wJ8#v=onepage&q=peter%20A%20dignan%20chairman%20board%20of%20public%20works&f=false

[I-10east]

^^^Thanks Lake.

[camarocane]

MLK didn't exactly start a rebellion or kill and enslave millions of people. Confederate Park makes it seem like only confederates of the southland are welcome and it being in the heart of the city near a racially mixed neighborhood is also in bad taste IMO. That being said, keep the current monuments, change the park name to something neutral (Dignan, City Park, Emerald Necklace Park, Hogan Creek Park whatever) and maybe add a monument representing the civil rights struggle in Jax and we can call it square. My great great grandfather was a confederate in the Virginia calvary and I was born in a small southern town and I still don't get why anyone gives a rats ass about the confederacy. History is important but is renaming a park something that doesn't alienate a majority of the people that visit going to make people suddenly forget the civil war happened? No. So lets just give it up shall we?

To me naming a park after them basically sends a message of "Gosh, we really liked and miss these people. Wish they were still around to round up all the blacks as slaves again and kick these northerners out. A damn shame really. So let it be known that this park is a little piece of the confederacy in our time!  <3" Crazy.

You miss my point, why spend any time or money to rename it? You're obviously angry and offended by a name that really does not impact you whatsoever. It doesn't impact anyone actually. If it does, please enlighten me other than "it hurts his/her/their feelings"... additionally you cannot argue that (bad) taste is also a matter of opinion.
I've brought this up before, placed myself in the same situation and its still hard for me to comprehend. As an Arab, Christian and American if there was a war between the USA and the Islamic State that ended in 1865 and that same USA wanted to fly the flag of sharia over that park to commemorate a historic evert, would I like it? NO. Would I demand it be changed? Absolutely not. I would go further to say if ISIS was disbanded after said war, I would have even less of an opinion to dislike it.

[The_Choose_1]

The last few posts make it seem like this is a white vs black thing. For some reason, if it were agreed to rename Rosa Parks Station and Confederate Park after local figures, I believe some would still be pissed.

Your opinion that it's white and Black thing Lake is an easy cop-out. I just think changing names is stupid. 20th Street is in one of the worst parts of town this is a fact. So to rename it MLK would be a slap to me if I was Black. Was 20th street renamed because more Blacks live near 20th street? People will be pissed if anything is done or not done. Nothing really new here.