Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

Jim Gray
Mayor

September 7, 2017

Hand Deliver

Board of Trustees
The Lexington Cemetery
833 West Main Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40508

Dear Trustee,

I want to thank you for the opportunity to attend the September 11th Lexington Cemetery Board
meeting on behalf of the City of Lexington. Just as you have, the community has been engaged in the
conversation about the future of Lexingtons Confederate statues. Weve all been listening, and it seems
appropriate to relay more information to facilitate the Trustees considerations.

Together with the Take Back Cheapside advocates, a diverse coalition of ministers, Councilmembers,
dozens of community leaders, Commerce Lexington leadership and Lexingtons Public Safety team, we have
developed a proposal that is intended to remove any potential barriers The Cemetery and its Trustees may
encounter. Importantly, this isnt just my proposal. The Trustees will benefit from hearing the perspectives of
others on Monday. I plan to bring a small group, four people, including myself, to make our presentation.
After our conversation, should the Trustees vote to accept the John C. Breckinridge and John Hunt Morgan
statues, we propose the following:

Preservation and security of the statues and The Lexington Cemetery. While we have
secured financial commitments to relocate both statues, great consideration has also been given
to future preservation. For this reason, we are collecting financial commitments to establish an
endowment to fund the lifetime maintenance and security of the statues, and other issues that
may arise. We are also proposing this endowment be utilized to professionally clean and
maintain two of The Cemeterys existing statues, the Confederate Veterans Association
monument and the Confederate soldier monument with inscriptions of those buried in the

FOLLOW MAYOR GRAY:

www.facebook.com/JimGrayLexKY www.twitter.com/JimGrayLexKY

200 East Main Street Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 425-2255 www.lexingtonky.gov

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Confederate section of the Cemetery. The City will have both the Breckinridge and the Morgan
monuments appropriately cleaned upon relocation, as well.

The two existing monuments at The Cemetery, and the two currently proposed to be moved to
The Cemetery, are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and are identified as
Kentucky Military Heritage Commission sites, two designations the City of Lexington views
with great importance. As such, their appropriate preservation and ongoing maintenance is
important to both plan for and accomplish.

Next, and importantly, the locations of the John C. Breckinridge and John Hunt
Morgan statues in the Cemetery. The following is a recommendation purely intended to
respectfully honor the beauty, integrity, character and significance of the National Register
designated Lexington Cemetery by placing both statues in what Historic Preservation
professionals believe to be appropriate locations. As stated, this is just one recommendation:

o The John C. Breckinridge statue could be placed near his grave and those of his family
members in the vicinity of the Breckinridge Family Plot (Section G). During the Civil
War, Breckinridge served as the Confederate Secretary of War, however the life-long
Lexingtonian had a wide-ranging career. Breckinridge was a lawyer, U.S. Army soldier
(Mexican War) and politician. He served in the U. S. House and U.S. Senate and was the
youngest Vice-President of the United States. His statue presents him as a civilian, and it
is most appropriate that his statue be relocated in proximity of the Breckinridge family.

o Secondly, the John Hunt Morgan statue could be placed alongside remains of
Confederate soldiers in the Confederate section, near West Main Avenue (Section P).
Although Morgan is buried in his familys plot in The Lexington Cemetery, contextually
it may be more appropriate to place his statue in proximity of the Confederate section at
the Cemetery, near Fayette Countys two other Military Heritage Commission
designated Civil War monuments. The Morgan monument depicts him in military dress,
astride a horse, and is dedicated to both Hunt Morgan and his men, as enumerated on
the granite pedestal. Morgan, who died during the Civil War, is most commonly
remembered as a Confederate military figure, and the historic context and historic
character of the Confederate section is an appropriate setting with which the statue will
be most compatible.

I look forward to meeting with you and your board and continuing this conversation.

Sincerely,

Jim Gray,
Mayor

200 East Main Street Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 425-2255

www.lexingtonky.gov
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