Confederate monuments near Vancouver to lose historic status

VANCOUVER, Wash. – County officials in Vancouver, Washington, have voted to remove highway markers honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the Clark County Heritage Register.

The Columbian reported the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission voted on the delisting Tuesday night.

The commissioners said the marker, which was installed in Vancouver in 1939, failed meet established standards for a community heritage site.

Commissioner Alex Gall said the marker also lost its historic integrity when it was moved from its original spot to its current home on private property along Interstate 5 near Ridgefield.

The marker and a similar piece of granite originally installed in Blaine, near the Canadian border, now are part of Jefferson Davis Park which also includes Confederate flags.

The voting followed almost 90 minutes of public testimony, with comments in support and against the heritage register designation.