Debate reignited on fate of monument to Confederate Army surgeon

For more than 100 years, a monument to Dr. Solomon Secord stood in front of Kincardine’s library. But reconstruction of Kincardine’s Queen Street forced the monument’s removal and has reignited the debate about whether it should be put back up at all.

“This is a monument that honours service to a racist cause,” said Jeroen Thompson, when he tried, unsuccessfully, to get Dr. Secord’s monument permanently removed in 2018.

Secord was a beloved physician in Kincardine for more than 50 years, but he also spent time as a surgeon for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War in the mid 1800s.

“A portion of the monument, where it states that he’s being honoured in relation to that, well, that has caused a lot of differing perspectives,” said Kincardine’s Deputy Mayor Andrea Clarke.

The only known monument to a member of the Confederate Army on Canadian soil is currently in storage.

Kincardine council wants to know what residents want to do with Secord’s monument before deciding to put it back up.

Dr. Solomon Secord. (Source: Bruce County Museum/Ross Merritt)

“Kincardine council has directed staff to engage a professional facilitator to come and lead a thoughtful discussion, not just about the monument itself, but about the bigger issues that surround the monument,” said Kincardine’s Mayor Ken Craig.

It’s up to $15,000 well spent, said Clarke, who believes the upcoming community discussion will be about much more than the 12 foot hunk of limestone honouring Secord.

“Is this the way we want to commemorate? If not, what are our options? One is contextualization. One is looking at how else we could possibly frame it. Where should it be located? These are the questions. But, in order to get a really good perspective of that, we need to have that challenging conversation,” said Clarke.

Dr. Solomon Secord monument in Kincardine, Ont. as seen in September 2018. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

There’s no timeline for how long the public consultation on the Secord monument will last, or when Kincardine council will make a decision on its fate.

“We’re looking forward to that public engagement, thinking it will be a very fruitful exercise for our community,” said Craig.

“What kind of community do we want to live in? Where do we place inclusivity, diversity, and equity, and on the back of that there will be a determination by council as to how we commemorate past historical events,” said Clarke.

Dr. Solomon Secord monument in Kincardine, Ont. as seen in September 2018. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)