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Committee's job: Telling more of St. Augustine's Civil War history

The Confederate monument in St. Augustine has sparked controversy, like many Confederate monuments around the country have. Some people want it gone. Others want it to stay. St. Augustine city commissioners have chosen to leave it, and to create signs around it, telling more of the city's history.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The Confederate monument in St. Augustine has sparked controversy, like many Confederate monuments around the country have.

Some people want it gone. Others want it to stay.

St. Augustine city commissioners have chosen to leave it, and to create signs around it, telling more of the city's history.

The committee that will write those signs was just formed last night.

Gayle Phillips runs the Lincolnville Museum in St. Augustine with her husband.

The city commission selected her as one of the seven people to be on the Confederate Monument committee.

"A lot of people don't understand the background of what happened in St. Augustine during that time period," she said.

Phillips wanted the monument gone.

"I think the best thing would be to remove it," Phillips said. "but since the city has dug in and said they're not going to remove it, the next best thing is to try to make a difference from the inside as opposed to standing here and saying 'No, no, no.'"

"Well, I think that's interesting. I think that's a legitimate viewpoint," Dr. Thomas Graham said.

He has been selected to be on the sign committee as well. He was a history professor at Flagler College for 40 years, "studying the history of St. Augustine."

Unlike Phillips, he believes the monument should remain.

"The monuments are like our old Spanish houses. They're part of St. Augustine's artifacts," Graham said.

This African American woman and this Caucasian man are two of the seven member committee... which also includes academics, a former school teacher, and a former Civil Rights participant.

Some of the committee members want to share parts of the city's civil war history, like the union side.

Graham said, "The white men who fought for the Confederate army have been memorialized but there were about an equal number of black men from St. Augustine who fought for the union army and I don't think the public is aware of that."

Getting all seven to agree what to put on the signs may be tough.

"Hopefully the city will stick to is word and allow the committee to present the whole truth," Phillips noted.

Both of these committee members may be different in background.. but they both want to share a more solid story of the city's Civil War history... more than what the stone monument tells.

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