Confederate Plaques On Martha's Vineyard Come Under Fire

OAK BLUFFS, MA — Two plaques recognizing Confederate soldiers on Martha's Vineyard have drawn the ire of the local chapter of the NAACP. The organization voted over the weekend to ask the Oak Bluffs Select Board to take down the plaques and give them to the Martha's Vineyard Museum, according to The Martha's Vineyard Times.

The plaques sit at the base of a statue of a Union soldier. The NAACP is not petitioning to have the statue removed.

The monument was built in 1891 by a former Confederate soldier as a "gesture of conciliation," according to one of the plaques. The soldier, Charles Strahan, was the owner of The Martha's Vineyard Herald.

The president of the Martha's Vineyard chapter of the NAACP told The Times the plaques are a "piece of history, but should not be displayed in honor."