Civil War Museum sues St. Louis over Confederate memorial

ST. LOUIS -- The fight over ownership of a Confederate monument in St. Louis is moving to the courts.

The Missouri Civil War Museum sued the city of St. Louis on Friday over ownership of the monument.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported the lawsuit was filed hours after the museum sent a letter to Mayor Lyda Krewson, offering to remove the monument by next Friday for free if the city acknowledged the museum owns it. A portion of the monument recently was removed.

Krewson's spokesman, Koran Addo, said in a statement the city controls the monument and plans to remove it and place it in city storage. The city eventually will consider proposals from parties interested in owning or displaying the monument.

The museum contends the United Daughters of the Confederacy signed over the monument rights to the museum last week.