SALISBURY, Md.- With virtually no fanfare, a sign commemorating Confederate Gen. John Henry Winder was removed from the Wicomico County Courthouse lawn in downtown Salisbury on Friday morning.
Winder served as a general in the army of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Born in Somerset County in 1800, Winder commanded all of the military prison camps of the Confederacy.
But after Friday morning and several calls and petitions from citizens in recent years demanding its removal, the marker commemorating Winder's legacy was to be no more.
Wicomico County officials - including County Executive Bob Culver who ordered its removal - were on hand for the marker's removal.
"It took about five minutes for them to take the sign down and put it in a van and that was that," said Mike Dunn, executive director of the Greater Salisbury Committee, who witnessed the removal. "Good for Bob. It was a pretty courageous thing. It was quite emotional."
Commenting on his decision to have the marker removed, Culver said in a Facebook post, "As County Executive of Wicomico County, I removed the General John Henry Winder sign that has stood on the property of the Wicomico County Courthouse for many years. By doing so, I am hopeful the citizens of Wicomico County understand and reflect my belief that monuments such as this are offensive to many in the county. I hope this action is one of many steps that will help heal our community."
Salisbury Mayor Jake Day celebrated the marker's removal, saying in a Facebook post, "After 3 years of lobbying, 2 petitions and a documentary, the Winder sign is down! A monument to a treasonous murderer who never once set foot in our city, planted on the site of the second to last lynching in Maryland - and the doorstep of the halls of justice - is finally gone.
"Thank you Bob Culver and County administration for hearing us!"
(Photo credit: Mike Dunn)
Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver stands by a sign post that used to hold a marker commemorating Confederate Gen. John Henry Winder. (Photo credit: Mike Dunn)
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