In the heart of downtown Asheville sits Pack Square, a bustling center lined by popular restaurants and ongoing construction projects. A stone obelisk stretches skyward from the center of the square honoring Zebulon Vance, North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War.
Vance also held office during Reconstruction, including a two-year gubernatorial term and a long tenure in the U.S. Senate. As states like Louisiana and South Carolina take steps to remove symbols of the confederacy from public spaces, some residents in Asheville are questioning why the homage to Vance still rests proudly in the square.
Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the future of the monument.