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Monumental Commitment

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 23, 2008

DOWNTOWN - Shelley Jakes was helping her two sons complete a summer history project for Berkeley Preparatory School about 12 years ago when they stumbled upon the Confederate war memorial.

She had driven past hundreds of times and never noticed the memorial, sandwiched near the intersection of Pierce and Madison streets on the grounds of the Hillsborough County Courthouse.

"This is one of Tampa's earliest works of art," Jakes said of the monument, which was dedicated in 1911 and presented to the county by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Titled "Memoria in Aeterna," the monument features two marble statues of Confederate soldiers standing on either side of a 40-foot-tall obelisk. One soldier depicts the 1861 departure for war and the other the 1865 return home.

The monument is surrounded by a chain-link fence amid construction debris as the courthouse is renovated.

Formed in 1897, the 50-member Tampa Chapter 113 United Daughters of the Confederacy honors veterans of all wars, works to restore historical markers, provides Beanie Babies for military personnel to hand out to children in Iraq, and provides landscaping and upkeep of the Confederate memorial.

That includes the 200 hours members have spent hand-sanding and refinishing the monument.

"As with any public work of art, there isn't always money to be had," said Jakes, a Beach Park resident who joined the Tampa chapter soon after learning of the monument. "As soon as you allow this or other works of art to look neglected, it invites vandals, and then we lose a bit of our history."

In February, chapter members contacted artist Nancy Henderson, who specializes in drawing the city's landmarks, to do an ink drawing of the monument. Jakes said Henderson's drawing will be available by May 15 on postcards (25 cents for one or $1 for five), note cards (package of eight for $8) and mouse pads ($5).

Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative items will go toward the monument's preservation.

"I'm constantly working on drawings of buildings or homes that are historically significant," said Henderson, who has a gallery in Ybor City. "We have a lot of wonderful monuments here in Tampa and a tremendous military history here."

Henderson said she was excited to hear from the chapter and hopes the project will bring the monument to light.

Originally located in front of the old courthouse on Franklin Street and what is now Kennedy Boulevard, the monument was moved to its present location in 1952.

"It's a sad testament to a very significant monument that it is hidden away. You barely notice it," Henderson said. "The Civil War was one of our wars and is no less meaningful than any of our other wars. I'm hoping people will take notice and move the monument to a more prominent spot in a park setting. It is significant."

Jakes said the monument "reflects a milestone in Tampa's history."

"It's a reminder that history can be ugly," she said. "We did move on, and it's an example of where we were and where we are now. It's Tampa's legacy, the South's legacy and America's legacy."

PRESERVING HISTORY

•Tampa Chapter 113 United Daughters of the Confederacy meets the second Saturday of every month from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Steak & Ale, 204 N. West Shore Blvd.

•To purchase items commemorating the Confederate memorial or for information, call the chapter at (813) 286-2575.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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