Trout Creek Fish Camp recommended as new site for St. Augustine Confederate memorial

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The St. Augustine City Manager has decided that the final resting place for the St. Augustine Confederate memorial should be at Trout Creek Fish Camp.

Other locations that were looked at included the St. Augustine National Cemetery, next to the National Guard Headquarters. The Department of Veteran’s affairs denied the memorial. Another site was the Military Museum of North Florida, however the site was in Clay County and would be too expensive for the city to relocate it. Two offers by the Ladies Memorial Association of St. Augustine and a private landowner in St. Johns County were given, however the offers were not satisfactory,

Randy Ringhaver, owner of the Trout Creek Fish Camp, offered the site to the City Manager. Ringhaver said that he would personally pay for the foundation, lighting, sidewalks, and seating so that the memorial could be enjoyed by visitors.

“The denial from the Veteran’s Administration to relocate the memorial to our local National Cemetery, nor any other national cemetery, made it clear that Mr. Ringhaver’s proposal provides the best solution,” City Manager John Regan said in a press release. “His offer not only preserves the memorial but also provides the respect that the City Commission requires, and the community demands in determining an appropriate final location.”

The St. Augustine City Commission plans to vote on Monday regarding the current plan to store the memorial at the City’s Public Works compound.

Cox Media Group