Jefferson City crews removed a controversial Civil War marker Tuesday morning, less than 12 hours after the City Council voted to remove it.
Crew members quickly removed the Sterling Price marker from Moreau Drive since it appeared someone had previously tampered with the plaque, Jefferson City Operations Division Director Britt Smith told the News Tribune.
"We felt it best to act quickly because there actually had been some actions around the stone that may have been somebody trying to remove part of the plaque, so we thought it was best to get it taken care of," Smith said.
Crews removed the plaque, supported the marker and broke the concrete base until they freed the marker Tuesday morning.
The process wasn't as difficult as city officials had expected since the marker was not embedded in the concrete base as deep as they had anticipated, Smith said.
A small piece of the marker broke when it was removed, Smith said, but that piece was buried in the concrete base and not visible to the public.
"The stone is in as good of shape now as it was when it was standing," he added.
Story continues below video. Video submitted by Nathan Hays.
City crews will re-seed the spot where the marker previously stood.
The City Council voted 8-2 Monday to remove the marker after nearly four months of discussion, which included several city committees and hours of public comment.
The Winnie Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated the Sterling Price marker to the city in 1933. The plaque states the marker represented when Confederate forces, led by Gen. Sterling Price, decided not to attack Jefferson City in 1864.
The marker and plaque will be in city storage until city officials decide what to do with it, Smith said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the city had not decided the marker's future, City Attorney Ryan Moehlman said.
Some residents have offered in previous city meetings to re-home the marker.
