Linn Park, Birmingham, Alabama

Summary

Linn Park is a seven-acre (2.8 ha) urban park in the centre of Birmingham, Alabama.[1] It is overlooked by Birmingham City Hall on the west side and Jefferson County Courthouse on the east side. Formerly known as Capitol Park, Woodrow Wilson Park, and Central Park,[2][3] the park was renamed after Confederate naval officer and businessman Charles Linn in the 1980s.[2][4]

Linn Park
Fountain in Linn Park
Map
TypeUrban park
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
Coordinates33°31′15″N 86°48′35″W / 33.5207°N 86.8098°W / 33.5207; -86.8098
Area7 acres
View from within the park

Confederate monuments edit

From 1905 until 2020, the park was home to the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a 52-foot (16 m)-high obelisk erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy,[5][6] even though the city itself did not exist until after the Civil War. Following protests in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, during which protestors damaged and tried to remove the monument, the mayor removed the obelisk, leaving only the plinth.[7][8] A statue of Charles Linn was installed in 2013 and toppled on May 31, 2020, during the George Floyd protests.[7] The state Attorney General responded by filing a new lawsuit against the city.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ "Parks". The Official Website for the City of Birmingham, Alabama. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  2. ^ a b Gray, Jeremy (2020-06-01). "The history behind Birmingham monuments damaged in protest". al.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  3. ^ Todd, Keith (2011). Insiders' guide to Birmingham (1st ed.). Guilford, Conn.: Insiders' Guide. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-7627-6935-3. OCLC 841511825.
  4. ^ "Crews remove Confederate monument in Birmingham's Linn Park, location not disclosed". www.wbrc.com. June 1, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  5. ^ Mock, Brentin (January 16, 2019). "Alabama Can't Make Birmingham Display Confederate Monument". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  6. ^ Burch, Audra D. S. (2020-06-02). "Birmingham Mayor Orders Removal of Confederate Monument in Public Park". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  7. ^ a b Kaur, Harmeet (June 2, 2020). "Protesters tried to remove a Confederate monument in Birmingham. The mayor told them he would finish the job". CNN. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  8. ^ "Linn Park Confederate Monument Removed By City". Birmingham, AL Patch. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  9. ^ "Attorney General Steve Marshall files new lawsuit against Birmingham over removal of Confederate monument". www.wbrc.com. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-03.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Linn Park, Birmingham at Wikimedia Commons