If I had money, I would bet that in a dark, smoky room in Bentonville, there has been discussion of moving the Confederate soldier statue from the square.
OK, maybe not a smoky room, but dark and private.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the soldier. He does, after all, represent an important part of our history. I am just not sure he is line with the cultural ambiance folks in Bentonville are trying to create downtown.
Since Walmart became a retail organization of national/international standing, Bentonville has been known locally as a company town. All Walmart, all the time.
Then, Alice Walton announced she would build a museum. Crystal Bridges changed the way Bentonville residents want the world to think about the county seat.
To that end, the Bentonville square has been undergoing a pretty amazing face-lift. A lot of money is being thrown at dressing up the area, encouraging businesses to locate there and hosting events that attract thousands to the area.
Good for them.
If case you didn’t know, the soldier was built to honor the Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War, according to the Rogers Historical Museum’s website. The James H. Berry Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the statue, which also honors Berry.
Berry fought in the Civil War as a member of the 16th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. He was wounded, and lost his right leg. Berry became a lawyer, was elected to the state Legislature, served as circuit judge and was elected governor. Berry was appointed to the U. S. Senate in 1885.
The monument was designed by Barney Cott and cost $2,500. The solider is 7 feet tall, the monument stands 25 feet high.
The historic significance of the statue is obvious. Still, I can’t help but wonder if the political correctness of the world hasn’t led to discussions of shipping Mr. Berry off to a less prominent location.
The public discussion is about courtrooms and judicial offices.
The courthouse opened in 1928, and was built at a cost of $200,000, according to the “History of Benton County” by J. Dickson Black. It was designed by noted architect A.O. Clarke. It has lovely architectural elements, but has limitations for use in the 21st century despite a lot of updates over the years.
County Judge Bob Clinard set in motion a discussion about moving the courts and related offices to land near the jail on Southwest 14th Street in Bentonville. This makes a lot of sense. Enough courtrooms and offices could be built to accommodate current staffing, with additional space available for growth.
How much growth could there be? Well, when I moved to here in 1981, we had two judges. Now we have six who work in and around the courthouse. They can’t all work in the courthouse because there isn’t enough room, resulting in security issues.
Prisoners are transported from the jail to the courthouse complex and marched inside. This is another security issue. And really, do you want all those high falutin’ types visiting the area to see people in striped uniforms being herded into court?
Judges have also complained about the noise from events on the square and the disruption it causes in the courtroom. I can attest to that from my time covering the courts for this fine publication. It’s hard enough to hear in the so-called big courtroom without music wafting in from the square.
The idea of moving the courts seemed to have legs for awhile. All of sudden, however, there is concern. I can only speculate that the reason is restaurant owners on the square realized that by moving the courts, they would lose a lot of lunch customers they no doubt count on for income.
Moving the courts make sense. It’s just not reasonable to keep expanding the court system into nearby buildings. That would be an expensive proposition and a security nightmare.
I believe the courthouse should be preserved. It can be used in some manner, such as nonjudicial offices, or maybe even some type of social venue should county offices move out.
I can see a “Gone with the Wind”-themed wedding in the main hall — it’s got the right stairs to evoke the Old South.
And James Berry, in all his Confederate finery, will be just across the way, standing guard.
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LEEANNA WALKER IS LOCAL EDITOR OF THE ROGERS MORNING NEWS. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER AT WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWALEEANNA