City Hall Ten Commandments removed

DULUTH, Minn. – A Ten Commandments monument that stood on the lawn of City Hall for 47 years has been removed after a federal judge said its presence violated the separation of church and state.

The 1,600-pound hunk of granite was taken to a garage that houses the city’s historical memorabilia.

The monument was donated to Duluth by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in 1957. The Eagles gave similar monuments to many American towns during the ‘50s and ‘60s to encourage good morals and promote Cecil B. DeMille’s movie, “The Ten Commandments.”

The city of Duluth agreed to remove the monument after the ACLU sued in February, saying the statue was unconstitutional.

A federal judge approved the deal Thursday.