Statue of late civil rights leader John Lewis replaces more than 100-year-old Confederate monument

A large bronze statue of the late civil rights icon leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis was installed Friday, at the very spot where a contentious monument to the confederacy stood for more than 110 years in the town square before it was dismantled in 2020.

Work crews gently rested the 12-foot-tall (3.7-meter-tall) statue into place as the internationally acclaimed sculptor, Basil Watson, looked on carefully.

"It's exciting to see it going up and exciting for the city because of what he represents and what it's replacing," Watson said, as he assisted with the installation process.