ROCKBRIDGE CO., Va. – Lee-Jackson Memorial Park, owned and operated by the Stonewall Brigade Camp 1296 Sons of Confederate Veterans, flies a massive Confederate flag just off Interstate 81 about 10 miles north of Lexington in Rockbridge County.
It is also home to a small number of statues and relocated memorials.
“Well, as most people know by now, obviously Confederate history statues and things have been under attack significantly in the last five to 10 years. So, we created this park as a place to not only install new monuments, but to try to rescue and preserve existing ones and give them a new home,” said Brandon Dorsey, who is both the Commander of the Stonewall Brigade, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the manager of Lee-Jackson Memorial Park.
This organization, like others with ties to the Confederacy, was stripped of its tax-free status by new legislation signed by Governor Abbigail Spanberger earlier in April -- Something Dorsey attributes to party politics, driven by state Democrats.
“As I tell everybody now, Democrats promised everybody a free steak dinner in this last election on affordability. They gave them a can of Spam, they got Spam burgers, and then they passed all this legislation...” Dorsey said.
The non-profit owns and leases about 22 acres at the site of the park overlooking the Interstate. The plan is to provide a home for statues and monuments that have been removed from public locations across the South. There is also room for gatherings and civil war reenactments. Dorsey says he feels as if his and other similar organizations are being unfairly targeted.
“Well, it’s certainly not fair. It’s certainly punitive. It is definitely viewpoint discrimination. Whether the courts believe that that will be decided later. I will say that other states are watching what’s happening in Virginia,” he said.
For now, Dorsey says the taxes on the property would be around $3,000 - about five to six percent of their budget. He says it’s too early to tell if they will really have to pay -- or if they can appeal to local authorities, or the courts, since they are still legally a 501 c3 non-profit.
Dorsey says other Confederate organizations, such as the Richmond-based Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns more real estate, could suffer more if they are forced to pay taxes on their holdings.