Former Booth Monument
Parker's monument once
paid tribute to the assassin of
President Abraham Lincoln.
Parker's monument once
paid tribute to the assassin of
President Abraham Lincoln.
Grave of a Southern Soldier
After Parker's death in 1921,
his family had the Booth
inscription removed and used
the stone as his marker.
After Parker's death in 1921,
his family had the Booth
inscription removed and used
the stone as his marker.
(Former) John Wilkes Booth Monument - Troy, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - (Former) John Wilkes Booth Monument, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - (Former) John Wilkes Booth Monument, Alabama
| Former Monument to John Wilkes Booth Now a headstone for the man who commissioned it, this former monument to John Wilkes Booth is located in Troy, Alabama. |
"Pink" Parker's Unusual Tribute
Joseph Pinkney "Pink" Parker was a police
officer, teacher, Baptist church member and
Confederate veteran who lived in Alabama.
He was probably best known, however, for
hating Abraham Lincoln.
His animosity to the slain president was
manifested each year on the anniversary of
Lincoln's death when Parker would dress in
his finest clothes to celebrate. Troy was a
Southern city in South Alabama and most
local residents either humored or quietly
supported the macabre annual celebration of
the assassination.
But then in 1906, Parker took things to a
whole new level and sparked outrage across
the nation. He commissioned a monument
memorializing John Wilkes Booth and his
assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
About three feet tall, the stone shaft bore the
inscription: "Erected by Pink Parker in honor
of John Wilks Booth for killing Old Abe
Lincoln."
Parker hoped to place it in front of the Pike
County Courthouse in Troy, but local officials
balked at the idea and declined his request.
Determined to place the monument where it
could be seen, however, he exercised his
First Amendment rights by placing it in the
front yard of his home. It stood there for many
years, facing Madison Street in Troy, much to
the chagrin of reporters from across the
nation.
Proclaimed as the "only monument to the
memory of an assassin that stands on
American soil" by the Northern press, the
monument's existence became major news
in 1920. By that time it had been already
been standing for 14 years.
The nation's newspapers got many of the
details wrong. It was widely reported that
funds for the monument had been raised by
an outpouring of community support and that
it stood on the town square, none of which
was true.
The controversy reached its height in 1921,
with letters coming in from across the nation
demanding that the monument be taken
down. In the midst of the furor, the aged Pink
Parker passed away. His sons had the
inscription honoring Booth removed from the
monument and it was re-carved to serve as
his tombstone.
officer, teacher, Baptist church member and
Confederate veteran who lived in Alabama.
He was probably best known, however, for
hating Abraham Lincoln.
His animosity to the slain president was
manifested each year on the anniversary of
Lincoln's death when Parker would dress in
his finest clothes to celebrate. Troy was a
Southern city in South Alabama and most
local residents either humored or quietly
supported the macabre annual celebration of
the assassination.
But then in 1906, Parker took things to a
whole new level and sparked outrage across
the nation. He commissioned a monument
memorializing John Wilkes Booth and his
assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
About three feet tall, the stone shaft bore the
inscription: "Erected by Pink Parker in honor
of John Wilks Booth for killing Old Abe
Lincoln."
Parker hoped to place it in front of the Pike
County Courthouse in Troy, but local officials
balked at the idea and declined his request.
Determined to place the monument where it
could be seen, however, he exercised his
First Amendment rights by placing it in the
front yard of his home. It stood there for many
years, facing Madison Street in Troy, much to
the chagrin of reporters from across the
nation.
Proclaimed as the "only monument to the
memory of an assassin that stands on
American soil" by the Northern press, the
monument's existence became major news
in 1920. By that time it had been already
been standing for 14 years.
The nation's newspapers got many of the
details wrong. It was widely reported that
funds for the monument had been raised by
an outpouring of community support and that
it stood on the town square, none of which
was true.
The controversy reached its height in 1921,
with letters coming in from across the nation
demanding that the monument be taken
down. In the midst of the furor, the aged Pink
Parker passed away. His sons had the
inscription honoring Booth removed from the
monument and it was re-carved to serve as
his tombstone.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
The monument can be seen on Parker's
grave in Oakwood Cemetery, located on
North Knox Street in Troy. To find it, travel
north on Knox and enter the cemetery at the
second gate. Drive as far as possible toward
the far side of the cemetery and then walk
down the slope to the graves near the fence.
Parker is buried there with other members of
his family. There is no indication on the stone
that it was ever a monument to John Wilkes
Booth.
Please click here to see a photograph of the
monument as it originally appeared. Please
note that this is a link to a commercial site
with which we have no affiliation, but they do
have a photo of the Booth monument.
grave in Oakwood Cemetery, located on
North Knox Street in Troy. To find it, travel
north on Knox and enter the cemetery at the
second gate. Drive as far as possible toward
the far side of the cemetery and then walk
down the slope to the graves near the fence.
Parker is buried there with other members of
his family. There is no indication on the stone
that it was ever a monument to John Wilkes
Booth.
Please click here to see a photograph of the
monument as it originally appeared. Please
note that this is a link to a commercial site
with which we have no affiliation, but they do
have a photo of the Booth monument.
A Controversial Monument
The Booth monument was
controversial from the day it
was erected.
The Booth monument was
controversial from the day it
was erected.
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Joseph Pinkney Parker
Parker served in a Georgia
regiment during the war, but
returned home to learn that
his family had been treated
brutally by Federal troops and
Union sympathizers during
the war. He never forgot.
Parker served in a Georgia
regiment during the war, but
returned home to learn that
his family had been treated
brutally by Federal troops and
Union sympathizers during
the war. He never forgot.
Last Man Killed in the Civil War
Ghost of Sketoe's Hole
Confederate Memorial Park
Historic Sites in Alabama
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Ghost of Sketoe's Hole
Confederate Memorial Park
Historic Sites in Alabama
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
| Copyright 2011 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |