Franklin County leader wants Confederate monument to stay

WASHINGTON, Mo. -- A Southeast Missouri county commissioner is suggesting a Confederate monument removed from St. Louis this summer be erected in his county.

The monument has been stored at an undisclosed Franklin County location since it was removed from Forest Park in St. Louis.

Franklin County Commissioner Tim Brinker said he would like to see the monument find a permanent home in the county. He told The Washington Missourian he was speaking for himself, not the commission.

Brinker said he believes such monuments help the country remember its history and honor people who died for their beliefs.

Mark Trout, president of the Missouri Civil War Museum, the monument's owner, said if it ever is reinstalled, it will be on private property or it might not be on public display again.