The most imposing of Confederate memorials on the South’s grandest boulevard was taken down on Wednesday, marking a symbolic end to more than a century of troubled history and a significant notch in the nation’s quest for racial reckoning.

The 12-ton equestrian figure of Civil War General Robert E. Lee, erected in 1890, was hoisted from its pedestal along the tree-lined Monument Avenue just before 9 a.m., spurring jubilation among those gathered to witness the momentous event in Richmond, Virginia—former capital of the Confederacy. 

The 21-foot bronze statue came down after a count of “Three, two, one!” from a construction worker, who strapped a harness around Lee and his horse. Then a work crew used a power saw