July 24 (UPI) -- Workers have removed a bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Ku Klux Klan leader, from the Tennessee Capitol.
The statue -- along with ones of Adm. David Farragut, the first leader of the Navy who served with the Union; and Adm. Albert Gleaves, a commander during World War I -- were sent to the Tennessee State Museum on Friday. The statues will be displayed with plaques offering context about the men's lives.
The move was part of a growing effort across the country by some to remove and relocate statues and monuments of historical figures tied to racism and slavery -- particularly those of members of the Confederacy.
The Tennessee State Building Commission, which includes Gov. Bill Lee, voted 5-2 to remove the busts. The Farragut and Gleaves pieces were removed to avoid singling out the Forrest statue, The New York Times reported.
"This process has finally come to a close," Lee said.
Forrest owned slaves and during the Civil War ordered the massacre of Black and White Union troops who had surrendered at Fort Pillow.
The Tennessee Department of General Services estimated the cost of the removals to be about $17,000.
