TODAY'S NEWS

Dedication of Civil War monument Saturday in Luray

When sculptor Herbert Barbee’s statue of a Confederate sentryman celebrated its centennial in 1998, it had lost much of its luster due to the ravages of weather and time during the 100 years it had stood in East Luray at the corner of Reservoir Road and East main Street.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, the newly restored and freshly cleaned monument will once again sparkle white in the sun as it did when it was first unveiled on July 21, 1898.
The statue was completely disassembled this past summer so that a restoration crew could give it a thorough cleaning, repair its broken gun, fill in cracks caused by weathering and pour a completely new foundation for its pedestal.
The restoration actually resulted in better, stronger reinforcement for the statue and its pedestal due to the insertion of iron rods to hold the pieces into place.
This weekend, after constructing a mini-park at the base of the statue, Herbert Barbee’s handiwork will once again be honored with a rededication ceremony.
The brief event gets under way at 11 a.m., and is expected to last between 15 and 30 minutes, with Barbee descendants in attendance.
This celebration will be more low-key than the last rededication, held on July 18, 1998 as an all-day affair that began with a wreath-laying at Barbee’s gravesite, a Civil War encampment and concert by a Civil War military band in Inn Lawn Park, a parade from the park to the monument, and a re-enactment of the original unveiling of the statue.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Luray Town Office at 743-5511.