Fame Preservation Group
A 501(c)3 Nonprofit Charity Organization,
and a Confederate Historical Society
Fame Preservation Group
A 501(c)3 Nonprofit Charity Organization,
and a Confederate Historical Society
FAME CONFEDERATE MONUMENT
Gloria Victis and our mission moving forward
The Fame Confederate Monument, called Gloria Victis, is a bronze grouping statue which stands at 23 feet tall on a Salisbury Pink Granite pedestal with inscriptions on each side of the stone dedicating the War Memorial to the thousands of Confederate Veterans of Rowan County in North Carolina. The Constitutional founding principles of the United States are referenced twice on this Monument for the intention of the Confederacy and its desire to self-governance. The statue itself is estimated to stand at 12 feet tall.
Depicting an ascending Angel carrying a fallen soldier to the Kingdom of Heaven, Lieutenant Henry Howe Cook of the Tennessee Confederate Provisional Army is featured in the grouping bearing a CSA belt buckle and a broken rifle. The depiction was obtained from a photograph of Cook that was later used by sculptor Frederick Wellington Ruckstühl to cast the bronze statue in Brussels, Belgium in 1891 as sentiment to the war.
First displayed in the streets of Paris, France the same year, the French people resonated well with the art installation giving praise to the attention to detail and reference to the revolutionary nature of the piece for France's assistance to the Confederacy in its desire for sovereign independence.
Gloria Victis was then transported to New York City in 1901 to be displayed in yankeedom within an art museum where it was then purchased by the Robert F Hoke Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Salisbury, NC. Through fundraising efforts organized by the Daughters, $10,000 was raised for the grouping to be obtained and an additional $1,500 for the pedestal from local Balfour Quarry. It wouldn't be until May 10th, 1909 that the Monument would be dedicated to 160 Confederate Veterans at the intersection of Church and West Innes Streets in downtown Salisbury accompanied by Mary Anna Jackson, the widow of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in addition to an estimated 40,000 other attendees present.
Despite being called Gloria Victis he nickname for the Monument, Fame, originated from the left inscription stating "Fame has given you an impressionable crown" referencing the many Confederate Veterans of Rowan County.
The statue was taken down in 1991 by the UDC Chapter to restore the condition of the bronze grouping by shipping it to Karkadoulias Bronze Art Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio for $14,000. Prior to its restoration, Fame was compared to that of the Statue of Liberty for its oxidized green corrosive appearance.
In the wake of an anti-Confederate movement in the nation fueled by civil rights and combatting police brutality, the Monument was first targeted in 2018 after being vandalized with white paint, then again in 2019 on the same day. By the wake of the George Floyd protests nationwide, Fame was again targeted and eventually removed for public safety concerns after protestors clashed where a gun was fired.
The Monument was officially removed on July 6h, 2020 after negotiations concluded between the City of Salisbury and the United Daughters of the Confederacy to move Fame to a private storage facility until a proper relocation plan could be organized and executed.
The City of Salisbury estimated it cost $89,000 to remove, store and relocate the statue. An additional $65,000 was privately raised to cover the costs of maintenance and site amenities including security cameras and an 8 foot fence around Fame at its new location in Old Lutheran Cemetery.
Fame was installed in its new reinforced plot within Salisbury's Old Lutheran Cemetery on July 23rd, 2021 accompanied by an estimated crowd of 20 spectators and news media crews in front of 176 Confederate Veterans markers belonging to a mass grave site in the same location. The property that Fame stands on now is privately deeded to the United Daughters of the Confederacy as well.
Fame Preservation Group, Inc was established to preserve the historical fact of the Fame Confederate Monument and the many different Confederate Veterans and families that it represents in response to the growing hostilities mounting against its existence from political adversaries and vandals that would seek to remove, destroy and cover up the historical value behind a Monument representing the revolutionary ideals instilled into the American people. Perhaps that why the French loved Fame so much.
DONT TREAD ON FAME FUND
In order to combat future potential acts of vandalism to the Fame Confederate Monument and the historic environment of the Old Lutheran Cemetery, our organization has launched the "Dont Tread of Fame" financial campaign to fundraise for the sole purpose of safeguarding the stability of the Monument for repairs, restorations, or additional measures of security that the United Daughters of the Confederacy may consider as owners of the Monument thereof.
All donations to this fund will be collected in a separate account and monitored by our treasury to ensure that the money is kept and secure in the event of civil unrest, organized demonstrations, domestic terrorism or individual acts of destruction of property as seen in the 2020 George Floyd protests and riots. If you're interested in assisting with this financial fund for the security and readiness of defending the Fame Confederate Monument, please click below:
FUTURE PROJECTS
QR Code Signage
Roadside Markers
Roadside Markers
The FPG is currently researching how to effectively incorporate QR code technology into a self-guiding tour for visitors of historic sites to be able to scan these with their smartphones and have access to individual explanations of historical context and contributions made by historical figures unique to that site.
Roadside Markers
Roadside Markers
Roadside Markers
Our organization is actively researching new ways to incorporate and fundraise towards the installation of new roadside historical markers for historical sites throughout Rowan County in North Carolina including mustering grounds, battle locations and preserved properties for the local tourism of Rowan's Confederate History.
New Headstones
Roadside Markers
Memorial Benches
Fame Preservation Group, Inc, in the future intends to use existing acquired information to locate and honor unmarked graves of Confederate Veterans from Rowan County with new military headstones either through the Veterans Affairs administration or private means in order to pay tribute to their contributions and respect their families back at home.
Memorial Benches
Waste Dispensaries
Memorial Benches
The FPG plans to finance the installation of two memorial benches on each side of the Fame Confederate Monument under the maple trees for visitors to enjoy and rest on as they reflect on the artistic beauty of the statue and memorialize the presence of 176 military headstones positioned in rows of five. The benches would specifically contribute to the elderly who often visit the Fame Confederate Monument.
Waste Dispensaries
Waste Dispensaries
Waste Dispensaries
We intend to finance the installation of at least one animal waste dispensary station with a trash can and bags in Old Lutheran Cemetery to accommodate visitors who walk their dogs inside of the Cemetery to maintain the cleanliness of the property.
Our organization is also seeking to install similar dispensaries in Old English Cemetery for visitors as well to promote cleanliness.
Fixing Headstones
Waste Dispensaries
Waste Dispensaries
Our organization seeks to eventually repair all broken or otherwise toppled headstones within historic cemeteries throughout Rowan County despite the significance of those individuals serving as Confederate Veterans with the intent of preserving their legacies from a similar era as that of our Confederate dead using means of metal braces, restoration tools and headstone cleaning.
Showing our Legacy as an Organization
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