Denton County to host four public input meetings on proposal to add historical context to Confederate memorial

Denton County will host four meetings in November and December to get feedback from residents on how the county can best add historical context to the Confederate memorial outside the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square.

The first meeting will be held Nov. 4 from 7-8 p.m. at the Stephen E. Copeland Government Center, located at 1400 FM 424, Aubrey. Another meeting will take place Nov. 12 from 7-8 p.m. at the Precinct 3 Government Center, located at 400 N. Valley Parkway, Lewisville. The third meeting will be Nov. 18 from 7-9 p.m. at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, located at 1300 Wilson St., Denton. The final meeting will occur Dec. 2 from 7-8 p.m. at the Southwest Courthouse, located at 6400 Canyon Falls, Flower Mound.

In August, the Denton County Commissioners Court created the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square Art Committee to flesh out the details of a proposal to erect a new granite memorial, a bronze sculpture and two digital kiosks near the existing Confederate memorial.

The seven-member art committee was charged with gathering public input before selecting an artist, after which it will choose three to five artists to create renderings of the proposed structures.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meetings to provide the committee with any suggestions they may have about what the details of the proposed additions should look like.

The committee has also been charged with drafting a statement denouncing slavery that, if approved, would be inscribed on the proposed granite memorial. They are also tasked with compiling information about the history of slavery in Denton County to be featured on the proposed interactive, digital kiosks.

According to a county news release, the committee is seeking resident feedback on what the statement should say and what historical information they would like to see featured in the kiosks.