Parksley council votes to transfer Confederate monument to private group

PARKSLEY, Va. — The Parksley Town Council voted unanimously June 8 to transfer ownership of the town’s Confederate monument and the parcel it occupies to the Sons of the Confederacy.

Councilman Frank Russell, who introduced the motion, said the private transfer would place the monument under private ownership rather than the town’s, which he said would prevent the governor from forcing the town to remove it. "They can come next month so the monument will be privately owned and not in the town's name," Russell said before the vote.

Councilman John Parks seconded the motion; the motion passed with all six council members present voting aye. Councilmen discussed that the organization had offered to take responsibility for the monument for a nominal amount.

The motion did not specify a sale price in the meeting minutes; council members described the transfer as effectively removing the monument from town custody. No formal public hearing specific to the transfer is recorded in the minutes. The council’s action matches earlier remarks by Councilman Russell that the Sons of the Confederacy had agreed to accept the monument "for roughly $1 whenever the town wants them to."

The sale was recorded as a formal motion and unanimous vote; the minutes do not provide further detail about any deed transfer process, restrictions on future relocation, or any conditions attached to the sale.

The council took no separate vote on relocation or alteration of the monument; subsequent steps such as deed recording, site control, or any required county or state filings were not listed in the meeting record. The council adjourned at 8:53 p.m.