Confederate General Albert Pike Statue Set for Reinstatement in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The National Park Service (NPS) announced Monday that the bronze statue of Confederate General Albert Pike will be restored and reinstalled in Washington, D.C. This statue was toppled and burned during protests in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

The NPS shared an image of workers cleaning corrosion and paint from the statue, which has been stored since its removal. The agency aims to complete the restoration work and have the statue back on display by October.

The decision to reinstall the statue follows federal historic preservation laws and recent executive orders aimed at reinstating monuments that had previously been removed. In a formal statement, NPS clarified that restoration work will include repairs to the damaged masonry plinth and will involve fixing broken stone and mortar joints.

The Albert Pike statue, dedicated in 1901, has long sparked controversy. It depicts Pike wearing civilian clothes, as mandated by the Freemasons who lobbied for its installation. Critics have accused Pike of being linked to the post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan, a claim that some Masons dispute.

Washington D.C. officials have sought the statue’s removal for decades, with the D.C. Council originally calling for it in 1992. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has consistently argued for its removal, stating, “A statue honoring a racist and a traitor has no place on the streets of D.C.” She plans to reintroduce a bill for its permanent removal.

In 2020, during live protests, demonstrators toppled the statue, igniting a national dialogue about racial injustice and historical memory in the United States. President Donald Trump responded to the incident by condemning the actions of the protesters and ordering a review of monuments removed since that time.

As the NPS prepares for the statue’s return, it has ignited renewed debates on how the country chooses to remember its history and the figures within it.