WEST POINT Historical group asks the state to move Civil War monument

A church's offer to become the new site is being considered.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
WEST POINT -- An effort is being undertaken to move a Civil War monument from state-leased land to private property closer to the spot of the event commemorated by the marker.
The East Liverpool Historical Society will be asking the Ohio Department of Transportation for approval to move Morgan's Monument about a quarter mile from its current site in a state-operated roadside rest, Atty. Tim Brookes said Monday. Brookes, a Civil War enthusiast, serves as spokesman for the society, which owns the monument.
ODOT is undertaking a statewide plan to close small roadside rests, including the site along state Route 518 near the border of Wayne and Madison townships, where the Morgan's surrender monument has stood for decades.
The state is trying to find another spot for the massive stone, which marks the July 1863 surrender of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan and his band of raiders.
The actual surrender site, located nearby, is the farthest north that any Confederate force penetrated during the war.
Property
Brookes noted that the historical society owns a tiny piece of roadside property, about 10-feet square, at the surrender site, which is now next to a home.
The stone marker was originally placed at that spot in the early 1900s and remained there until the 1950s. It was moved after the state created the roadside rest to serve as a place where the monument could be more easily viewed by tourists.
The owners of the home near the surrender site apparently don't object to having the monument moved to the small historical society plot, Brookes said.
He added that ODOT has indicated it will handle moving the monument.
Lacks parking
One shortcoming of the proposed new site is that it lacks parking for visitors, Brookes acknowledged. But having the marker returned to the site of the surrender is a big plus, he added.
Should the society decide not to return the monument to its original spot, there's another option. West Beaver Presbyterian Church, along state Route 518 just east of the surrender site, has offered to have the stone put near the church.
The church was built about a decade before the Civil War, and veterans of the conflict are buried in the church's nearby graveyard.
Brookes said the church's offer is being considered because of its proximity and the parking that's available there.
A decision is likely to be made later this month, he said.