The Tennessee Historical Commission decided the Williamson County seal is not a monument after all, so the county doesn’t need the state’s permission to change it. It’s good news for the county, which has been trying to remove a Confederate flag from their seal for nearly two years.
At first, Williamson County tried to go through the traditional route laid out in a state law called the Heritage Protection Act. But after months of delays because of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, they changed tactics.
In Friday’s Historical Commission meeting, Williamson county’s lawyer Jeff Moseley said that the seal is not a memorial or a monument at all – so it doesn’t fall under the commission’s purview.
“It is clear that the county seal represents the county as a whole, as a governmental insignia,” Moseley told commissioners, “And was not dedicated in honor of any historic conflict.”
The members of the commission unanimously agreed with Williamson County’s argument.
But the Sons of Confederate Veterans, based just outside of Nashville, argued the flag on the seal honors lives lost during The Battle of Franklin.
“It represents the war between the states. That’s a historic conflict. The Battle of Franklin is a historic event,” said H. Edward Phillips, lawyer for the Sons of Confederacy.
The group will have the opportunity to appeal before any changes can be made. So Williamson County will have to keep waiting, for now.
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