The Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) have erected a 110 ft. flagpole which flies a 20 x 30 Confederate Battle Flag alongside I-65 in north Autauga County, where it is seen by tourists traveling north to Birmingham/Huntsville or south to the beach. The flag is located on a little more than half an acre of land just north of where Autauga County 68 crosses over the interstate, about six miles south of the Verbena exit.

On June 26 the SCV held a formal dedication ceremony attended by people from across the the state, as well as visitors from Missouri, Georgia and Florida.

Autauga County Probate Judge Al Booth, member of the SCV’s Prattville Dragoon’s camp, welcomed the crowd to Autauga County and said ". . . the flag represents bravery, honor and spirituality."

Though the ceremony drew four protesters led by a radio talk show host, Frank Matthews of Birmingham, state troopers soon removed them from standing on interstate right of way.

The keynote speaker, Ron Casteel, chief of staff of the International Sons of Confederate Veterans headquartered in Columbia, Tenn, said, "This is the soldiers’ flag carried by brave men, our ancestors, into numerous battles where they fought and died always outnumbered."

First Lt. Commander of the Alabama Division, Joseph Wyatt Willis of Prattville and the driving force behind the project said, "Our heritage means a lot to us. That’s why we wanted to put the flag where people could see it and remember their heritage."

Eighty percent of all Southerners can trace their ancestry back to a Confederate soldier as compared to only 20 percent of northerners who know they are descended from Union veterans.

The State Commander of the Alabama SCV, Leonard Wilson of Jasper said, "We’re showing off our heritage. The flag is part of our heritage."

The day was perfect for the over 400 people gathered atop I-65 and seemed somehow smiled upon as cloud cover shaded and a brisk breeze kept the hilltop cooler than an ordinary late June afternoon.

A very poignant moment within the program occurred as the giant flag, held aloft by five men, was attached to the cable and slowly raised atop the 110 ft. pole accompanied by an a capello rendition of the 19th century Southern hymn God Save the South.

Nobel Prize winner, Mississippian William Faulkner said, "The past is not dead in the South. It isn’t even past."