Confederate Memorial in Mayfield
National Register of Historic Places

Confederate Memorial in Mayfield

Mayfield, Graves County, Kentucky
Listed
July 16, 1997
Type
Object
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
97000697

About this property

The Confederate Memorial in Mayfield is a commemorative monument and fountain located on the courthouse lawn in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky. Mayfield during the Civil War was very supportive of the Confederate States of America. Representatives from seven western Kentucky counties and twenty western Tennessee counties met at Mayfield in May 1861 to discuss forming a new state that would join the Confederacy. The secession of Tennessee on June 8, 1861, caused the proposal to be abandoned, In 1864 Union forces occupied the town and forced the townspeople to help fortify the courthouse, which was destroyed later that year. The courthouse behind the memorial fountain was built in 1889. Mayfield's United Daughters of the Confederacy obtained the fountain in 1917 from the McNeal Marble Company in Marietta, Georgia at the cost of $1,650. (equivalent to $40,000 in 2025). The fountain, which no longer emits water, is a 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) obelisk with wings that double as benches. On the end of the wings are 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) light posts that are eight feet away from the center obelisk. Below the northern post's light is inscribed "1861", and below the southern post's light is inscribed "1865". At the base of each light post is a CSA symbol. The center obelisk has a plaque with three different Confederate flags in copper relief on its top. The plaque's inscription reads, "TO THE MEMORY / OF THE / CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS / OF GRAVES COUNTY". On July 17, 1997, it was one of sixty-one different monuments to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. One other monument on the list, the Confederate Memorial Gates in Mayfield, is nearby in Maplewood Cemetery, north of downtown Mayfield. Other monuments on the list that are also fountains are the Confederate Monument of Cadiz and the Confederate Memorial Fountain in Hopkinsville.

Location

2 blks. N of jct. of 5th and Lee Sts.
Mayfield, Graves County, Kentucky
36.74245, -88.63534

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Mayfield Downtown Commercial District
Industrial
0.1 mi
Mayfield Electric and Water Systems
Industrial
0.1 mi
Mayfield Downtown Commercial District (Boundary Increase)
Industrial
0.2 mi
U.S. Post Office
Industrial
0.2 mi
Wooldridge Monuments
Listed
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Confederate Memorial in Mayfield listed on the National Register?

Confederate Memorial in Mayfield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Confederate Memorial in Mayfield?

Confederate Memorial in Mayfield is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Confederate Memorial in Mayfield?

The period of significance for Confederate Memorial in Mayfield is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Confederate Memorial in Mayfield?

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