{"nrhp_refnum":"97000956","name":"Confederate Monument","other_names":["124-183"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Jct. of High and Court Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Portsmouth (Independent City)","county":"Portsmouth","state":"VA","lat":36.83527501800006,"lon":-76.30091031299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Confederate memorial obelisk of North Carolina granite with four bronze statues, at the corner of High and Court Streets in the town square of Portsmouth, Virginia. Construction began in 1876 and the monument was completed in 1893, designed by Charles E. Cassell.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the monument has artistic merit because its four bronze statues were modeled on local men rather than being generic figures. It also argues military significance because the statue of a Confederate sailor is one of three in the South and ties to the Battle of Hampton Roads.","narrative":"A granite obelisk on the town square at High and Court Streets in Portsmouth, Virginia, honors the Confederate dead of Portsmouth and Norfolk County. Designed by ex-Confederate engineer Charles E. Cassell, it rises 56 feet from the ground and is built of North Carolina granite donated in part by two railroad companies. Four bronze statues representing the artillery, infantry, navy and cavalry stand on platforms at its base. Work began with a cornerstone laid in 1876, the capstone was set in 1881, and the project was finished in 1893 after nearly 18 years and $9,236.24 in expenditures. The statues were cast by the Monumental Bronze Company and modeled on local men photographed in Portsmouth. The nomination values the monument for its art and for its sailor figure, one of three such statues in the South, which faces the Elizabeth River toward the route of the CSS Virginia. A wrought iron fence encloses the small grassy park around it.","period_of_significance":"1876-1893","architect_builder":"Charles E. Cassell","architectural_style":"Other","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Stated to be in good condition, in its original location, and unaltered since its 1893 dedication.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.640867-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/6826/41682608/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/97000956.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000956/c913164fe0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000956/c913164fe0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portsmouth,_Virginia_(8596805587).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portsmouth,_Virginia_(8596805587).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03001485","name":"Downtown Portsmouth Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/downtown-portsmouth-historic-district-03001485/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682608","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Monument_(Portsmouth,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5159690"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/portsmouth/confederate-monument-97000956/"}