Ninian Edwards

Most controversial St. Louis-area statues and street names remain despite 2020 protests

Eric Schmid

Little has changed despite protests and petitions calling for the removal of statues and street names that honor people with ties to slavery, genocide and other atrocities.

Workers remove the pedestal that formerly held the bronze Ninian Edwards statue in the park at the corner of St. Louis and Vandalia streets in Edwardsville on Monday morning. The statue became a flashpoint in the community last year after some locals learned Edwards, the city's namesake, had owned enslaved people.

Culture & History

Controversial Statue Will Go From Pedestal To Ground Level In Edwardsville City Plaza

Teri Maddox

Some residents in the city had asked for the bronze depiction of Ninian Edwards to be removed entirely because he owned enslaved people.

The statue of Ninian Edwards was erected in 2008 in a small park in downtown Edwardsville that was funded by local donations.

Government, Politics & Issues

Ninian Edwards Statue In Edwardsville To Stay For Now

Eric Schmid

A controversial bronze statue of Ninian Edwards will, for the time being, remain where it is installed, in a small plaza near Edwardsville's city center. The statue, the plaza and Edwards’ slavery legacy became the focus of protests during the global Black Lives Matter movement this summer.

What’s Edwardsville Going To Do About Statue After Learning Namesake Defended Slavery?

Lexi Cortes

The city of Edwardsville is considering renaming a downtown park and relocating a statue of the city's namesake after a group of people from the Edwardsville area informed city leaders in June that Ninian Edwards was a slave owner who actively advocated for slavery.