Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Marietta company made 140 of the South’s Confederate statues

The figure standing atop the Confederate monument in the Screven County Memorial Cemetery at Sylvania resembles another Confederate statue in McDonough. Both were mass-produced by McNeel Marble Company in Marietta. This McNeel monument was dedicated in 1909.
The figure standing atop the Confederate monument in the Screven County Memorial Cemetery at Sylvania resembles another Confederate statue in McDonough. Both were mass-produced by McNeel Marble Company in Marietta. This McNeel monument was dedicated in 1909.
By Ben Brasch
Aug 21, 2017

Over the past week, the country-wide clash regarding Confederate monuments has reached new heights.

But amid all the back-and-forth is a nugget of history connecting Cobb County to the national argument.

Decades ago the McNeel Marble Co. in Marietta grew into one of the nation's most prolific Confederate monument makers. They built more than 140 Confederate monuments, including dozens in Georgia.

PHOTOS: The legacy of Marietta's McNeel Marble Company

That 140 includes the statue that was pulled down by protesters in Durham, North Carolina last week; eight individuals have been arrested in connection with that incident.

Experts agree that demand for Confederate monuments spiked twice: at the turn of the 20th century and about the time of the civil rights movement.

Read more about the history of the McNeel company and the reaction to the national uproar from a descendent of the company's founders on myAJC.com.

Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi Calls For Confederate Statues Removal From Capitol

About the Author

Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.

Follow Ben Brasch on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

A man rides a bicycle in the rain along 10th Street in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Rain, fog complicate trip back to Atlanta for holiday travelers

Wet and chilly weather, as well as fog, are expected to harshly greet Georgia travelers returning home Sunday after the holiday weekend and through the early week.

Jurors mostly acquit Atlanta businessman in yearslong fraud case

Jurors mostly acquitted an Atlanta businessman and his dietary supplement company in a yearslong federal fraud, money laundering and drug misbranding case.

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Although investigators had reason to believe Sandeep “Sonny” Bharadia wasn’t involved in the crime, they pushed forward with a case against him anyway, a lawsuit says.

The Latest

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Rain, fog complicate trip back to Atlanta for holiday travelers

Gridlock Guy: Too much ‘holiday cheer’ can shatter silent night on the road

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Earth needs more energy. Atlanta’s Super Soaker creator may have a solution.

The legendary inventor of the Super Soaker, Lonnie Johnson, is refining technology in Atlanta that he thinks could help the planet reduce energy waste.

Teen GOP activist steps down from party leadership post

Greene County native and University of North Georgia student Ja’Quon Stembridge, 19, had run on boosting youth involvement in the party.

2025 SEC championship game: Kickoff time, TV channel, participants, ticket info

The 2025 SEC Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6. Below you can find information on game time, TV channel and particpants for the game.