WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2020) The statue of the first governor of Russian America Alexander Baranov has been relocated from downtown Sitka, Alaska to the local history museum, the museum's executive director Hal Spackman told Sputnik.
"The statue was cleaned and removed from its podium this morning and relocated to our museum," Spackman said on Tuesday. "We hope to have the statue on display for the public by the end of October."
In July, the city assembly adopted a resolution to relocate the Baranov statue to the Sitka Historical Society Museum, after a group of local activists urged legislators to remove it, citing mistreatment of indigenous people. In 1799, Baranov founded Sitka - called at that time Novo-Archangelsk - as the capital of the Russian colonies in North America.
"The move went smoothly. The contractor charged with building the base is working with us on the design phase at this time," Spackman added.
The museum is ready to work with anyone who wishes to provide information about Baranov's life and his legacy as the first governor of Russian Alaska, the executive director noted.
"At this time, I have only been contacted by one Russian diaspora group who has expressed an interest in providing information about Baranov," he said. "We are willing to work with this, or any other group, should they wish to have input."
Last week, Spackman told Sputnik that the group offered assistance with providing information was the Russian Cultural Center in Alaska.
In July, the Russian Community Council of the USA (RCC), which previously organized a petition and collected almost 6,000 signatures against removing the statue, sent a letter to the museum asking that it cooperate with the Russian diaspora in providing comprehensive information about Baranov to visitors.
