Charleston in Limbo: The fate of John C. Calhoun’s Statue

Charleston in Limbo: The fate of John C. Calhoun’s Statue

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston’s citizens are no strangers to the tumultuous history and socio-political unrest that their city has witnessed. The strife led to the unanimous decision by the Charleston City Council to remove the statue of John C. Calhoun from Marion Square in June 2020. However, four years later, the fate of this contentious monument is still in limbo.

Why was it removed?

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, there was a nationwide resurgence demanding the removal of symbols associated with the Confederacy. Although Calhoun had served as the seventh United States vice president from 1825 to 1832, his avid advocacy for slavery couldn’t be overlooked. This led to the decision by the then-Mayor John Tecklenburg and the city council to take down the statue that had proudly stood over Marion Square for over 120 years.

The journey of the Calhoun statue

Despite several setbacks and structural challenges, the statue was successfully removed from its pedestal on June 24, 2020. It was then transported to an undisclosed city warehouse, which still houses the statue as the city leaders continue to search for an apt permanent location.

The statue was initially removed with the understanding that it would find a new home in a museum or an educational center. However, several educational institutions and museums denied its placement. By the end of 2021, plans to feature the statue as part of an exhibit in a California museum fell through, and a proposal to house it at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia went unfulfilled.

Legal implications surrounding the statue

Succeeding the statue’s removal, several lawsuits were filed against the city, arguing that its removal violated the Heritage Act. However, these suits were either dropped or dismissed in due course. As per the information provided by the city officials to HERE News Network, multiple plans have recently fallen through, leaving them in the continuous effort to discern the most appropriate destination for the former city landmark.

About the statue

The monument, a towering figure of 115 feet, was erected on June 27, 1896. It served not just as a monument to Calhoun but also as a symbol of the rich, complex, and oftentimes heated history of the city of Charleston.

Inimitably tied to the social fabric and historical identity of the city, the John C. Calhoun statue has seen many pivotal points in Charleston’s chronicles, from days of slavery to civil rights movements to the modern-day city. However, it remains to be seen where the statue will now find a permanent home as the controversy continues to brew, reflecting the city’s struggle with its complex past.