The plaque marking one end of the Stonewall Jackson Highway was removed with no fanfare.

ST. PETERSBURG – The plaque was a largely ignored and forgotten tribute to a highway named after a Confederate War hero that had been in place for 78 years.

Today (Aug. 15), it was removed without fanfare by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

Kriseman announced its removal on his Facebook page:

“You may have read that there was a plaque at Central Avenue and Bayshore Drive that marked the location of a terminal for a highway once named after Stonewall Jackson. The plaque has now been removed and we will attempt to locate its owner.

“The plaque may not have elicited the same attention or emotions as the offensive statues and monuments that glorify the Confederacy, but that’s no reason for it remain on public land and serve as a flashpoint in this national debate.”

The plaque was taken to a secure city facility until the owner or some other person claims it.

According to the plaque, it was erected Jan. 22, 1939 by the Dixie Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to mark the “terminal of the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Highway.”

Jackson was a graduate of West Point Military Academy who joined the Confederate army after his home state of Virgina seceded from the union. He was one of the South’s most successful generals, according to history.com. He was shot by friendly fire during the battle of Chancellorsville and died eight days later of pneumonia at age 39.

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