Developer Jake Palillo offers to pay to move Confederate monument
Oct. 27. By Dave Yochum. More than a century and a half after the Civil War ended, Cornelius developer Jake Palillo has offered to foot the bill to move the Confederate monument in front of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.
Palillo said this morning he will also pay to store the 110-year-old statue and pedestal.
Since 2015 when white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine Black people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Confederate monuments have been taken down or moved in many parts of the country—including nearly two dozen of them in North Carolina.
But the local monument, which sits less than a mile from Town Hall, rests on a tiny parcel of property that is not owned by the church. It sits prominently on the expansive front lawn.
Leaders of the church have already called on the Mt. Zion Monumental Association to remove it, but so far they have been ignored. 
Donald Archer, the Statesville resident who has spoken for the association in the past, did not respond to Cornelius Today for comment.
The monument has been defaced at least twice and has since been fenced in.
Dedicated in 1910 during the annual reunion of members of Company K, 56th NC Regiment, it includes the Confederate battle flag and a Confederate soldier standing at parade rest, with his rifle resting on the ground. The Confederate monument in Cornelius cost $10,000 in 1910, the equivalent of roughly $250,000 today.
Donald Archer in front of the Confederate Monument
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Taking down confederate statues is foolish… it does not change history! We must learn from our history
A sincere and hearty thanks to Mr. Jake Palillo. This move by him shows that he is a decent man who is committed to helping his community, and standing on the “Right Side” of history. Hopefully his offer will be taken, and this eyesore and blight on the community will be removed once and for all!!
If this would improve anyone’s life, I would be all for it.
It would not.
Thanks, but no thanks Jake.
This only divides more people and why all of a sudden it’s a big controversity I’ll never understand. Who and where did these people come from that is so gungho to have them removed many from above the mason Dixon line I imagine. How about leaving ALL our statues alone and get on with your life or better still maybe you would feel better just moving out of any of our Southern states..your imaginary problem will be solved.
This is disappointing to read. Leave the confederate monuments alone. Ths “woke” craziness is destroying our country. I would avoid this developer!
In response to four out of five Comments:
What difference would it make to take the monument down? Wouldn’t taking it down eliminate an opportunity for people to learn about our history?
The statue represents an aspect of our nation’s history involving the enslavement of a people, solely on the basis of their skin color. Though the statue does represent a portion of our nation’s history, it should not be prominently displayed as a tribute to those who fought to ensure the continuation of that enslavement. The statues should be displayed in museums, cemeteries or in private areas where people who CHOOSE to see them can do so.